pmdtechnologies ag
German developer of Photonic Mixer Device semiconductor components and three-dimensional time-of-flight imaging systems.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
pmdtechnologies ag, also referred to as PMD Technologies, was a German technology company specializing in semiconductor components and engineering services for real-time three-dimensional imaging. Its name came from Photonic Mixer Device technology, a sensing approach that measures the time taken by modulated light to travel to an object and return, allowing a camera system to calculate depth for many points in a scene. The company developed CMOS-based time-of-flight components and supported customers in integrating them into industrial, automotive, consumer, robotics, security, medical and other imaging applications. The company emerged from more than a decade of research into three-dimensional time-of-flight imaging at the Center for Sensor Systems (ZESS) at the University of Siegen. Professor Rudolf Schwarte filed foundational patents for time-of-flight chips using photonic mixer elements from 1996 onward. A related ZESS spin-off, S-Tec Sensor GmbH, began developing PMD products in the late 1990s and was acquired by PMD Technologies when the latter was established in 2002. PMD Technologies was founded by Schwarte together with Audi Electronics Venture GmbH, giving the business both an academic technology base and an industrial connection. Its early emphasis was on industrial sensing and machine-vision use cases. The company gained visibility through technology awards, including the Hermes Award at the 2005 Hanover Fair for its Efector PMD product and Frost & Sullivan's 2009 European Real-Time 3D Imaging Enabling Technology Innovation Award. Its technology was subsequently extended into consumer electronics, automotive systems, gaming, surveillance, healthcare, life sciences and robotics. PMD sensors were reported in the sensor suite of NASA's Valkyrie robot and in the German Aerospace Center's Justin humanoid robot. PMD also developed partnerships intended to bring time-of-flight depth sensing into mass-market devices. In 2013 it worked with Infineon Technologies on three-dimensional image-sensor chips for touchless gesture recognition. The company participated in Google's Project Tango in 2015, and a Lenovo device using PMD's three-dimensional technology reached the market in 2016. A later PMD-Infineon collaboration produced an indirect time-of-flight platform used in the Magic Leap 2 mixed-reality headset. In 2023 the partners introduced the IRS2976C, a VGA-resolution time-of-flight sensor designed for placement beneath a display; the product was described as the first such sensor to pass Google's Class 3 Face ID certification. International expansion included new offices in Seoul and Shanghai in 2019. PMD Technologies operated as a specialist component and engineering provider rather than as a conventional consumer-facing electronics brand, with its commercial role generally embedded in customers' cameras, sensors and finished products. According to the cited company history, PMD Holding GmbH was merged into IFM Efector GmbH in June 2026. The restructuring discontinued the separate PMD Holding identity and integrated PMD Technologies and PMD Industrial into IFM Efector, making PMD Technologies a defunct standalone corporate brand.
History
PMD Technologies developed from research conducted at the Center for Sensor Systems at the University of Siegen. The research program focused on three-dimensional time-of-flight imaging, in which modulated light and photonic mixer elements are used to determine object distance in real time. Professor Rudolf Schwarte filed foundational patents for time-of-flight chips based on this approach from 1996 onward. A first three-dimensional depth camera using PMD sensors was available by 2000, demonstrating the transition from laboratory research toward practical imaging equipment. A related ZESS spin-off, S-Tec Sensor GmbH, was founded in 1996 and began developing PMD products in 1997. In 2002, Rudolf Schwarte and Audi Electronics Venture GmbH established PMD Technologies as a further commercial spin-off, while PMD Technologies acquired S-Tec Sensor GmbH. The new company combined academic expertise with industrial development capabilities and focused on CMOS semiconductor components, complete sensing solutions and engineering support for digital three-dimensional imaging. The company's initial market orientation was industrial. Its components could be used for distance measurement, object detection, machine vision and automation, but the underlying technology also had potential in automotive and consumer devices. In 2002, the PMD development team, represented by Schwarte, Bernd Buxbaum and Torsten Gollewski, was nominated for the German Future Prize. The nomination recognized the team's work in advancing practical three-dimensional sensing. PMD Technologies received further recognition at the 2005 Hanover Fair, where its Efector PMD product won the Hermes Award. In 2009, Frost & Sullivan gave the company a European Real-Time 3D Imaging Enabling Technology Innovation Award. These distinctions helped establish the company as a specialist provider of real-time depth-imaging technology rather than simply a research spin-off. During the 2010s, PMD expanded its application scope. Its technology was applied or evaluated in automotive systems, consumer electronics, gaming, security and surveillance, medical technology and life sciences. In 2013, PMD Technologies collaborated with Infineon Technologies on three-dimensional image-sensor chips intended to support touchless gesture recognition. PMD sensors were also used in advanced robotics, including NASA's Valkyrie humanoid robot and the German Aerospace Center's Justin robot. The company became involved in Google's Project Tango in 2015. This work contributed to the use of PMD three-dimensional sensing in a Lenovo device released in 2016, connecting PMD's component technology with the emerging market for mobile augmented-reality and spatial-computing hardware. A later collaboration with Infineon produced a three-dimensional indirect time-of-flight technology platform used in the Magic Leap 2 mixed-reality headset. PMD strengthened its international footprint in 2019 by opening offices in Seoul and Shanghai. Its business remained primarily B2B: PMD generally supplied sensing components, development support and technology to equipment manufacturers and system integrators, while the PMD name was not necessarily visible to end users of finished products. In 2023, PMD and Infineon launched the IRS2976C, a VGA-resolution time-of-flight sensor. The component was designed for installation beneath a display and was described as the first sensor in its category to pass Google's Class 3 Face ID certification. This reflected PMD's continued focus on compact, embedded depth sensing for consumer and mixed-reality devices. According to the cited account of the company's corporate history, PMD Holding GmbH was merged into IFM Efector GmbH in June 2026. The restructuring discontinued the separate PMD Holding corporate identity and integrated PMD Technologies and PMD Industrial into IFM Efector. As a result, PMD Technologies is treated as a defunct standalone brand, although its technology and business activities were absorbed into the IFM organization.
- 2026
Integration into IFM Efector
[1]PMD Holding GmbH was merged into IFM Efector GmbH and the separate PMD corporate identities were discontinued.
- 2023
IRS2976C launched
[1]PMD and Infineon introduced the IRS2976C under-display VGA time-of-flight sensor.
- 2019
Seoul and Shanghai offices opened
[1]PMD Technologies opened new offices in Seoul and Shanghai.
- 2016
Lenovo device using PMD technology released
[1]A Lenovo device became the first reported product resulting from the company's Project Tango work.
- 2015
Project Tango participation
[1]PMD Technologies took part in Google's Project Tango.
- 2013
Gesture-recognition sensor collaboration
[1]PMD and Infineon Technologies collaborated on three-dimensional image-sensor chips for touchless gesture recognition.
- 2009
Frost & Sullivan technology award
[1]PMD Technologies received Frost & Sullivan's European Real-Time 3D Imaging Enabling Technology Innovation Award.
- 2005
Efector PMD wins Hermes Award
[1]The Efector PMD product received the Hermes Award at the Hanover Fair.
- 2002
PMD Technologies founded
[1]Rudolf Schwarte and Audi Electronics Venture GmbH founded PMD Technologies as a spin-off of the University of Siegen's sensor-systems research.
- 2002
German Future Prize nomination
[1]The development team represented by Rudolf Schwarte, Bernd Buxbaum and Torsten Gollewski was nominated for the German Future Prize.
Products and positioning
Specialist B2B provider of photonic mixer device sensors, three-dimensional time-of-flight components and engineering support for embedded depth-imaging systems.
Industrial three-dimensional sensing
Efector PMD
Efector PMD was an early commercial PMD-based sensing product associated with the company's industrial origins. It used time-of-flight depth measurement to provide real-time spatial information for industrial detection and automation applications. The product received the Hermes Award at the 2005 Hanover Fair, helping establish PMD Technologies' profile in industrial sensing.
Time-of-flight image sensor · 2023
IRS2976C
The IRS2976C is a VGA-resolution indirect time-of-flight sensor developed with Infineon Technologies and launched in 2023. Its design supports placement beneath a display, making it suitable for compact consumer-electronics and biometric-imaging architectures. The sensor was reported to have passed Google's Class 3 Face ID certification, a qualification relevant to secure three-dimensional face-recognition applications.
Semiconductor components
PMD CMOS 3D time-of-flight components
PMD Technologies developed CMOS semiconductor components that measured depth using Photonic Mixer Device principles. These components formed the core of the company's B2B offering and were intended for integration into cameras, robotics, industrial equipment, vehicles, consumer devices and other systems requiring real-time three-dimensional data.
Marketing campaigns
- 2015Google Project Tango participation
Consumer electronics · Mobile computing · Augmented reality
PMD Technologies contributed its three-dimensional time-of-flight expertise to Google's Project Tango, an initiative focused on mobile spatial awareness and three-dimensional mapping.
Outcome. The work was followed by the release of a Lenovo device using PMD three-dimensional technology in 2016.
Brand decisions
2026
Merge PMD Holding into IFM EfectorM&ABackground
The corporate group undertook a restructuring that changed the legal and brand organization of PMD Technologies and related businesses.
Action taken
PMD Holding GmbH was merged into IFM Efector GmbH, with PMD Technologies and PMD Industrial integrated into IFM Efector.
Aftermath
The separate PMD Holding identity and distinct PMD subsidiary identities were discontinued. The expanded IFM Efector management team remained led by Volker Frey, Michael Paintner and Stefan Hoberg.
2023
Launch the IRS2976C sensorProduct launchBackground
Consumer devices increasingly required compact depth and facial-recognition sensors that could be integrated without occupying visible display area.
Action taken
PMD and Infineon launched the IRS2976C, a VGA time-of-flight sensor designed for under-display use.
Aftermath
The sensor was reported to have passed Google's Class 3 Face ID certification.
2015
Participate in Project TangoStrategyBackground
Mobile spatial computing created an opportunity to apply time-of-flight sensing to consumer devices.
Action taken
PMD Technologies joined Google's Project Tango and supplied or supported three-dimensional sensing technology.
Aftermath
A Lenovo device using PMD's three-dimensional technology was released in 2016.
2013
Expand into touchless gesture recognitionStrategyBackground
PMD Technologies sought to extend its depth-sensing technology beyond industrial applications into consumer and interactive devices.
Action taken
The company collaborated with Infineon Technologies on three-dimensional image-sensor chips for touchless gesture recognition.
Aftermath
The collaboration supported the broader application of PMD technology in consumer electronics and interactive systems.
Recent events
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