JDSU announced that it is providing core optical technology for the Kinect system that enables the new Microsoft Xbox One entertainment and communications console to provide highly-precise 3D sensing capabilities. In addition to enabling consumers to control Xbox One applications using body movements or gestures instead of using a traditional game controller, the new sensor can now sense multiple users and also much more subtle activities such as facial expressions and heart rate and incorporate them into various Xbox One applications. JDSU technology is a key component in Microsoft's development of the unique and custom optical design for Kinect.

The custom optical design includes the first time-of-flight 3D camera to be produced in mass volumes. With time-of-flight technology, pulses of light are rapidly projected out from the Kinect sensor to detect and gather key information from a person that is then filtered back into a 3D camera lens using low-angle shift optical filters from JDSU. The newest near-infrared light source technology from JDSU that generates these invisible pulses of light does so at the higher power and faster speed to allow for the improved sensing and high-resolution capabilities.

The core optical technologies provided by JDSU are critical to overall enhancements in the latest Kinect platform including: New 'active IR' capability Resolves issues that used to occur when room lighting would change. Now the system can detect and track users even when the lights are out. High-definition and high-fidelity 3D map sensor Can now track even small changes in depth and detect details like buttons on a shirt.