Dari Motion buys Max Planck spin-off The Captury
Max Planck motion capture technology is used in sports, medicine and entertainment
The Captury GmbH has developed a new motion capture technology, which is used by numerous companies in the entertainment sector as well as in the sports and medical sector. The process of the spin-off company from the Max Planck Institutefor Informatics can detect movements of people very quickly and realistically and can do without markers that are usually used. With the purchase of The Captury, Dari Motion Inc. secures the innovative technology basis on which their products for motion analysis in the sports and health sector are based. The Captury will continue to operate as an independent company, maintain and possibly expand its location in Saarbrücken, as well as market its products.
Motion capture procedures allow you to capture and record movements. The recorded data can be played back, analyzed, and processed by computers. The technique is often used in movies to bring animated characters to life. In sports and medicine, this form of movement analysis is often used to analyze and optimize or treat movement sequences. Conventional motion capture techniques work with trackers distributed across the body that reflect optical signals. For this purpose, skin-tight suits covered with markers must be worn usually. This is disruptive for actors, athletes and patients and can distort natural movements. In addition, special cameras must be used that can emit and receive optical signals. Scientists around Nils Hasler from the Graphics, Vision and Video research group at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics headed by Christian Theobalt have therefore developed a method that does not require markers and captures the movements very quickly and realistically. This makes it possible to record movements of people in normal clothing with normal cameras. The movements are analyzed in the computer by a special software and transferred as a motion skeleton to a virtual figure. The spin-off The Captury, which was founded in 2013 in Saarbrücken, has developed the technology to market maturity and marketed. The numerous customers in the entertainment sector include companies such as Fox, Disney, Scanline or the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. Customers in the medical field are various universities worldwide.
Motion analysis in cases of bone and joint diseases or after surgery
Now The Captury has been purchased by the US company Dari Motion. Dari develops and markets systems for motion analysis in the field of sports and medicine. With Dari Sports, athletes can improve their movements in various areas such as running or throwing. Dari Health enables health institutions and physicians to analyze the movements of their patients in cases of bone and joint diseases or after surgery and to initiate appropriate treatment measures. The technology of Dari products is based on the motion capture process of The Captury, in particular the "Captury Live" technology. It allows the recording of real-time movements with 6 to 24 cameras and up to three people simultaneously. Special hardware is not required. With the purchase, Dari secures the technology base for its products, which the company markets in the USA. In addition, the company is expanding its product portfolio, especially in the entertainment sector, thus reaching new industries and expanding its customer base. For this purpose, The Captury will remain as an independent company in Saarbrücken with its well-known products and will continue to offer innovative tracking solutions for its customers in the future. The Max Planck Society received 18 percent of the sales price due to its shares. By purchasing the Captury Dari Motion Inc. is now exclusive licensee of the Max Planck technology, whose patents remain with the Max Planck Society.
"Dari Motion serves numerous customers with its platform for 3D kinematics and kinetic movement analysis in the sports, wellness and medical sectors. We are happy that by selling our technology to an innovative high-tech company, our technology will help many people improve their well-being and performance in the future. In addition, it was important to us to secure the jobs in Germany and to ensure that The Captury's customers continue to have access to our technologies in the future. We would like to thank Max Planck Innovation for the good support we have received in recent years," says Nils Hasler, co-inventor, co-founder and managing director of The Captury.
Max Planck Innovation, the technology transfer organization of the Max Planck Society, has supported the patenting of the technologies as well as the foundation and sale of The Captury. "The software, which was developed at the Max Planck Institute for Informatics and by the spin-off The Captury, has made motion capture available for many applications due to its makerless technology. Motion recording without markers and special equipment in real time has been made possible by this work. The Captury has once again shown that basic research is an excellent basis for innovative products with a high benefit for users. We are also pleased that the location of Saarbrücken will be preserved by the buyer and that even additional jobs will be created there in the medium term," says Florian Kirschenhofer, Senior Start-up & Portfolio Manager at Max Planck Innovation.
