Canesta

Canesta, Inc.

Type	Private
Industry	Fabless Semiconductor
Founded	1999
Headquarters	Sunnyvale, California, USA
Key people	Jim Spare, CEO Abbas Rafii, Executive VP Cyrus Bamji, CTO Patrick O'Connor, VP Eng. Tim Droz, VP Platform Eng. Tony Zuccarino, VP Mktg/Sales Sakuya Morimoto, Sr. Dir. Asia Albert Lee, VP Finance
Products	3D CMOS Image sensors
Number of employees	60+ (2010)

Canesta is a fabless semiconductor company founded in April 1999 by Cyrus Bamji, Abbas Rafii, and Nazim Kareemi. The company manufactures CMOS-based single chip 3D sensors, which can be used as part of input systems for electronic devices. On October 29, 2010, Canesta announced that it would be acquired by Microsoft for an undisclosed amount. Canasco was formed as an asset holding company of Canesta to transition and wind down Canesta.

The company launched publicly at PC Forum in 2002, announcing its CMOS-based single chip 3D image sensing technology using the Time of flight principle. Described as “electronic perception technology”, the company promotes its technology as enabling everyday machines and digital devices with the ability to “see.”

In 2002, at Demo Mobile the company announced its first application, a projection keyboard for mobile devices. In this application, a keyboard made of light is projected onto a flat surface, the user types on the flat surface, and Canesta’s electronic perception technology translates finger movements into keystrokes in the device. The company subsequently licensed the technology to Celluon of Korea.

The company later focused on the automotive applications of its technology, securing investment from Honda, and promoting its technology at public automotive industry forums such as Convergence 2006. Interior occupant sensing for advanced airbag deployment and rear obstacle detection are two example applications.

The company recently turned its attention to the video game space where its technology forms the basis of a unique input mechanism that enables new immersive game experiences.

On October 29, 2010, it was announced that Microsoft would acquire Canesta for an undisclosed amount, stating that their partnership would assist in the development of natural user interfaces and spread the adoption of their technology into a wider array of products. Microsoft had developed a motion controller for its Xbox 360 game console, using PrimeSense technology and the current Kinect for Xbox One switched over to the Canesta Time-of-flight camera core technology.