Baidu Acquires Machine Vision Startup

China's internet search leader Baidu, Inc. announced on April 13 that it has acquired xPerception, a visual perception software and hardware developer, for an undisclosed sum.

Co-founded by Dr. Bao Yingze and Dr. Chen Mingyu, former engineers at Magic Leap, xPerception will integrate into Baidu Research. The team will continue developing simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) technology for visual perception, which allows machines to see their own environments. This technology can be applied to Baidu projects for augmented/virtual reality, autonomous driving, and artificial intelligence.

Visual perception for machines looks to be an emerging field for augmented reality, with the Microsoft/DJI-supported ISAACS program at UC-Berkeley developing similar technology.

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