Google to acquire Lytro for new light field technology

By Jean-Jacques DeLisle, contributing writer

Image source: Pixabay.

It appears that tech giant Google is preparing to acquire the innovative camera company Lytro in the near future. With a price tag of only $40 million, this deal may come as a surprise to some. In 2017, just one year ago, the company was valued at approximately $360 million after a successful $200 million crowdfunding campaign. As reported by TechCrunch, after its last successful funding, Lytro CEO Jason Rosenthal wrote in a blog post, “We believe we have the opportunity to be the company that defines the production pipeline, technologies and quality standards for an entire next generation of content.” This seemingly shows the high hopes that the company had for its future.

So what happened, and why is Lytro up for grabs for just a fraction of what it might have been worth a few months ago? Well, the answer might be quite simple. After its successful creation and patenting of what is known as “light field” technology, Lytro was on an ambitious path of advancing to greatness. The specialized lens on the camera allows 2D still pictures to be refocused after they have already been taken, which has some very interesting implications for virtual reality (VR). Possible applications of this technology have led Lytro to pursue VR advancements more aggressively. Recently, the company made a purchase of its own, buying Limitless, another VR tech company. But this is where you might see things go a little downhill for Lytro because VR is still in the fledgling stages of development, and we have yet to see a truly widespread and successful VR platform take off. For a small company like Lytro, trying to expand the boundaries and advancements of technology in a niche field like that is a daunting task.

The technology that Lytro has to offer is valuable nonetheless, regardless of the lack of demand for VR tech in the commercial world, and Google sees potential. The tech giant has been working on VR tech for years and recently demonstrated its own VR app, which is somewhat similar to the light field technology developed by Lytro, as it allows users to navigate 2D pictures in 3D by analyzing different angles and shades of light. It can even be used to select various depths inside of an image and could be a workable substitute for green screen technology. It can safely be assumed that Google plans to add Lytro’s light field technology to its own slew of VR tech, hoping to compete with Facebook and Apple’s soon-to-be released VR devices. Though neither Google nor Lytro has made any comments about the possible sale, the VR tech war rages on, and as these giant companies consolidate technological advancements, we can expect to see many new possibilities on the virtual horizon.