Speech Graphics raises $7M for lip-synced facial animation
Join today's leading executives online at the Data Summit on March 9th. Register here.
Speech Graphics has raised $7 million in funding to build its audio-driven facial animation technology. It enables animated characters in games and other applications to move their mouths properly in real time when uttering spoken words.
You can think of it as a new way of dubbing or lip-syncing for games and other apps, using AI.
Edinburgh, Scotland-based Speech Graphics has expanded in response to increased demand for relatable virtual assistants that can offer a consistent, humanized experience, said Gregor Hofer, CEO of Speech Graphics, in an interview with GamesBeat.
By interpreting the emotional nuances in voice performances to drive a detailed model of the muscle systems involved in speech, Speech Graphics technologies allow producers of video games to save significant time, money, and effort while achieving superior outcomes. And now the company is expanding to other markets too.
GamesBeat Summit 2022
The company’s accelerated growth has led the organization to broaden its corporate vision, creating a new enterprise-facing brand — Rapport — with its own distinct website. The Speech Graphics tech has 20 years of research behind it in linguistics, biomechanics, psychology, machine learning, and computer graphics.
Rapport has embraced the rapid evolution of the metaverse, the universe of virtual worlds that are all interconnected, like in novels such as Snow Crash and Ready Player One.
Sands Capital led the round, which will be used to hire additional employees, build partnerships, and expand available products and services to address a range of enterprise needs, from sales to service, across retail, healthcare, banking, and travel, to
Read more on venturebeat.com
