Innovator: Dor Givon Gives Computers and Tablets 3D Powers

Imagine turning a smartphone into a full-body motion controller similar to the Microsoft Kinect or Nintendo’s Wii remote. Dor Givon, 41, has developed software that enables a device equipped with a standard 2D camera to register movement in three dimensions. “Every camera in the world today can be transformed to 3D,” says Givon, chief technology officer of Israeli startup Extreme Reality.

Givon’s software, Extreme Motion, uses a running video feed from the 2D cameras built into most laptops and tablets to map a person’s body and recognize his movements. Its algorithms calculate angles of limbs and joints to interpret the 2D images in 3D, adding depth to them frame by frame. On a camera-equipped laptop or TV, users can adjust the volume, move the cursor, and play games with a set of hand gestures the software recognizes from across the room. On a smartphone or tablet, the software lets developers add motion commands to mobile games.