Omek Interactive

Omek Interactive was an Israeli technology company founded in 2006 by Janine Kutliroff and Gershom Kutliroff. The company developed middleware that enabled computers and embedded systems to interpret data from three-dimensional depth-sensing cameras. Its software was designed to identify people and movements in a camera’s field of view, track body joints, construct skeletal representations, and recognize gestures that could be used as commands or inputs. The company’s principal proposition was sensor-independent software. Rather than being tied to one camera manufacturer, Omek’s platform was designed to work with several depth-imaging technologies, including structured-light and time-of-flight systems. Its supported hardware included cameras based on PrimeSense technology, such as the original Microsoft Kinect, as well as products from PMD Technologies, SoftKinetic, and Panasonic. This approach positioned Omek as an intermediary software layer between 3D sensing hardware and application developers. Omek’s flagship offering was the Beckon Development Suite. Beckon processed raw depth-camera data and converted it into application-ready information about people and their movements. Its functions included background subtraction, joint tracking, skeleton identification, and gesture recognition. The suite also included a Gesture Authoring Tool intended to let developers create and train gestures with limited or no conventional coding, helping application teams build natural user interfaces more quickly. The company targeted a broad set of potential applications, including automotive interfaces, casino and arcade entertainment, consumer electronics, video games, healthcare, and digital signage. These markets shared an interest in touchless interaction, motion-controlled interfaces, and the use of computer vision to interpret human behavior. Omek’s technology was therefore part of the wider development of natural user interfaces and camera-based human-computer interaction during the late 2000s and early 2010s. In July 2011, Intel Capital led a reported $7 million Series C financing round. Investor Eliyahu Haddad reportedly contributed $2 million and received a seat on Omek’s board. The financing supported the company’s continued product and market development at a time when depth cameras and gesture interfaces were attracting increasing attention. In March 2012, Omek announced the planned availability of the Grasp Development Suite at the Embedded Vision Alliance Summit. Grasp extended the company’s capabilities into close-range hand and finger tracking, focusing on gestures performed at distances of approximately one metre or less. At the same event, Omek announced support for Texas Instruments’ BeagleBoard-xM evaluation platform, indicating an interest in low-cost and low-power embedded deployments. Intel confirmed that it acquired Omek on July 16, 2013, for a reported $40 million. Following the acquisition, Omek ceased to operate as an independent company and its products were no longer maintained as standalone public offerings. The company’s history reflects the early commercialization of depth-sensing software and the consolidation of gesture-recognition technology during the period surrounding the first generation of consumer 3D cameras.

Omek Interactive was established in 2006 in Israel by Janine Kutliroff and Gershom Kutliroff. It entered the market during a period when computer vision, three-dimensional sensing, and natural user interfaces were moving from research environments toward commercial applications. The company focused on the software problem created by depth cameras: raw distance data had to be interpreted before it could support a useful interface or automated application. Omek developed middleware for motion tracking and gesture recognition that was intended to operate across different types of depth-sensing hardware. Its platform supported cameras using structured-light and time-of-flight methods, including PrimeSense-based systems, PMD Technologies' CamCube, SoftKinetic's DepthSense, and Panasonic's D-Imager. By separating application software from a particular sensor, Omek sought to make it easier for developers and device manufacturers to adopt 3D interaction capabilities. The Beckon Development Suite became the company's principal product. It transformed depth-camera input into information about humans in a scene through functions such as background subtraction, body-joint tracking, skeletal identification, and gesture recognition. Beckon also included a Gesture Authoring Tool designed to let developers define gestures through a machine-learning workflow without writing all of the recognition logic manually. The product was aimed at application developers building camera-based interfaces for entertainment, electronics, automotive systems, healthcare, and digital signage. Omek attracted venture financing as interest in depth cameras grew. In July 2011, Intel Capital led a reported $7 million Series C round. Eliyahu Haddad was reported to have invested $2 million and received a seat on the board. The financing connected Omek with Intel at a time when the wider technology industry was exploring computer vision, embedded processing, and gesture-controlled products. In March 2012, Omek presented plans for the Grasp Development Suite at the Embedded Vision Alliance Summit. Grasp was designed for short-range hand and finger tracking and gesture recognition at distances of one metre or less, complementing Beckon's broader body-tracking capabilities. Omek also announced support for Texas Instruments' BeagleBoard-xM evaluation board, a low-cost, low-power embedded computing platform that could help developers prototype vision-enabled devices. Intel confirmed on July 16, 2013, that it had acquired Omek for a reported $40 million. The transaction ended Omek's life as an independent venture-backed company. Its public software offerings, including the free non-commercial download of Beckon previously available from the Omek website, were subsequently no longer available as standalone products. Omek's trajectory—from an independent Israeli developer of sensor-agnostic vision middleware to an Intel acquisition—illustrates the consolidation of early depth-sensing and gesture-recognition technology in the first half of the 2010s.

• 2013

  Acquired by Intel

  [1]Omek Interactiveen.wikipedia.org

  Intel confirmed the acquisition of Omek Interactive on July 16, reportedly for $40 million.

• 2012

  Grasp Development Suite announced

  [1]Omek Interactiveen.wikipedia.org

  Omek announced a close-range hand and finger tracking product and support for the BeagleBoard-xM platform.

• 2011

  Series C financing

  [1]Omek Interactiveen.wikipedia.org

  Intel Capital led a reported $7 million Series C financing round, with Eliyahu Haddad reportedly investing $2 million and joining the board.

• 2006

  Omek Interactive was founded

  [1]Omek Interactiveen.wikipedia.org

  Janine Kutliroff and Gershom Kutliroff co-founded the Israeli motion-sensing software company.

Sensor-independent middleware for turning 3D depth-camera data into human-tracking, gesture-recognition, and natural-interface capabilities.

• 3D motion-tracking and gesture-recognition software

  Beckon Development Suite

  Beckon was Omek's flagship development environment for applications using 3D depth cameras. It processed raw sensor information to separate foreground subjects, track body joints, identify skeletal structures, and recognize gestures. The suite included a Gesture Authoring Tool that used machine-learning techniques to help developers create gesture definitions without implementing the complete recognition system manually. It was designed for uses ranging from games and consumer electronics to automotive interfaces, healthcare, and digital signage.

• Close-range hand and finger tracking software · 2012

  Grasp Development Suite

  Grasp was announced in 2012 as a software suite focused on tracking hands and fingers at close range, approximately one metre or less from the camera. It extended Omek's gesture-recognition portfolio beyond broader body and skeleton tracking and was intended for interfaces requiring detailed hand movements. The product was presented alongside support for the Texas Instruments BeagleBoard-xM evaluation platform.

• 2013

  Intel acquisitionM&A

  Background

  Omek was a venture-backed developer of sensor-independent depth-camera software, while Intel was investing in technologies related to computer vision and human-computer interaction.

  Action taken

  Intel acquired Omek Interactive on July 16, 2013, for a reported $40 million.

  Aftermath

  Omek ceased operating as an independent company, and its software was no longer maintained as a standalone public product offering.

  Reported acquisition price. $40 million (July 16, 2013)

  Source

• 2012

  Expanded into close-range hand trackingProduct launch

  Background

  Omek's Beckon platform addressed general body tracking and gesture recognition, while close-range hand and finger interaction represented a more specialized use case for embedded and consumer interfaces.

  Action taken

  The company announced the forthcoming Grasp Development Suite for hand and finger tracking at distances of approximately one metre or less.

  Aftermath

  The announcement broadened Omek's stated product coverage, although later standalone availability of the product is not documented in the supplied sources.

  Source

• 2013

  Intel acquired Omek Interactive[1]Omek Interactiveen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Intel confirmed its acquisition of Omek Interactive on July 16, 2013. The reported purchase price was $40 million, bringing the independent company under Intel's ownership.

• 2012

  Omek announced the Grasp Development Suite[1]Omek Interactiveen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  At the Embedded Vision Alliance Summit, Omek announced the forthcoming Grasp Development Suite for close-range hand and finger tracking, together with support for Texas Instruments' BeagleBoard-xM evaluation board.

• 2011

  Intel Capital led Omek Interactive's Series C financing[1]Omek Interactiveen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Intel Capital led a reported $7 million Series C financing round for Omek. Eliyahu Haddad was reported to have invested $2 million and received a board seat.

1. 1Omek Interactiveen.wikipedia.org