Meet XGIMI's Game-Changing Projection Technology

By XGIMI Tech - 2022-05

XGIMI’s humble beginnings sprouted years ago with a pleasant interaction between Apollo, XGIMI CEO, and his mother. In genuine excitement, he presented a self-assembled projector as a gift. However, shortly after, he discovered his mother had difficulty setting it up. Keystone correction, screen alignment, focusing – were all too complex to operate, so much so, she eventually gave up and returned to her TV.

We became aware of what was needed. Home entertainment varied with each user – so was the same as how the projector was used. XGIMI devices must serve all users, from the young to the elderly. 

“Anyone. And I mean anyone should be able to use our products. Making this a reality meant ensuring features, operations, and technology were understood by all.” – Apollo

Thus, a dream began.

In 2021, we released HORIZON Pro, Elfin, and Halo+, all equipped with the MAVII Machine Recognition System. It took six years, but the results were well worth it. We assured users that manual operations were no longer necessary. Automatically getting a clear, square picture seconds after powering on the projector was not only possible but became a standard with XGIMI products.

We sat with the engineer responsible for our image recognition technology to share the journey that birthed some of XGIMI’s groundbreaking projectors.

Q: It took six years to implement only four features (automatic keystone correction, automatic focus, intelligent obstacle avoidance, and intelligent screen alignment). What was most difficult to develop?

A: It was challenging to develop these functions, yes. However, enhancing the accuracy of their functionality was even more difficult. We learned early on that there was a significant difference between usability and easy to use. Two issues arose:  

1. The Home Scene is Complex

Catering to home projector use is much more complicated than how commercial projectors are utilized. Most traditional projectors simply cast large screens and are used in conference rooms, classrooms, and home theaters. We wanted to ensure XGIMI customers could use our products anywhere and display content in various ways. Interacting with users frequently via social media and collecting research data from consumers worldwide showed us how our products are positioned within various living spaces based on different preferences.

*Source: IG user @saint__julien、@chiri1205

The complex and diverse user environment greatly reduces the accuracy of machine recognition and automatic correction. We had to experiment, polish, Although tedious and time-consuming, the results were gratifying.

2. Complicated User Environments Meant Continuous Innovation

Since 2015, XGIMI has consistently ushered in new, ground-breaking devices. Learning that smart home projectors did not support side projection influenced us to become the first to build products capable of left and right projection. 

Most traditional projectors don’t feature automatic keystone correction, and only a few products use lens shift to achieve side projection. However, these products are usually bulky and expensive, which is undesirable to ordinary users. XGIMI utilizes advanced software keystone correction technology, ensuring a compact product design and reasonable price. More importantly, it allows users worldwide to project from either side of any room easily and quickly.

Keystone correction is a tedious task for those new to projector technology. In 2018, we introduced intelligent auxiliary correction to ease this pain point. However, this did not completely eliminate the need for manual adjustments. 

Therefore, in 2021, we developed fully automatic keystone correction. Thanks to the MAVII machine recognition system, users can enjoy not only full automatic correction but also intelligent obstacle avoidance for sockets and frames and smart screen alignment for the ideal, high-quality image. Our determination does not stem from competition or “being the first.” We care about the user experience, and ensuring that said experience is phenomenal requires diligence, persistence, and innovation.

Q: How did XGIMI overcome these technical difficulties?

A: To enhance the machine recognition technology, we first had to improve device space perception and the adaptation algorithm. The MAVII machine recognition system is the result of such goals. This innovation uses binocular machine vision technology, one high-precision CMOS module, a ToF LiDAR set, and a high-dynamic light sensor. Through XGIMI’s spatial perception and image adaptation algorithm combined with excellent computer power from a trillion-level NPU calculation unit, we’ve improved automatic screen alignment and calibration accuracy tremendously. 

*Machine Recognition System (MAVII) outline

Q: Many other products are also equipped with similar functions. What are the advantages of XGIMI?

A: As I mentioned earlier, the difficulty is not just implementing these features but also enhancing performance accuracy. Other brands will typically choose a lower-cost, off-the-shelf solution to achieve the same functions. This saves money on R&D labor and doesn’t require a CMOS camera or ToF LiDAR module. However, the accuracy, speed, and environmental adaptability of this solution is significantly reduced. 

This also explains why many other products only feature automatic keystone correction or screen adaption technology. For some living spaces, there are often obstacles obstructing the projection area (such as picture frames, clocks, wall sockets, etc.). The complexity of the user environment made perfecting auto keystone correction more challenging. At the same time, it pushed us to ensure our ISA technology identified not only the projection wall but also the surrounding environment. Developing the obstacle avoidance function required advanced hardware and algorithms, something also difficult to achieve with low-cost, off-the-shelf solutions.

In the video below, we conducted an obstacle avoidance test to present to users. You’ll notice that XGIMI projectors can actively perceive objects as small as coins and scale the image to avoid them.

Q: Is this the final form of the XGIMI projector? What can we expect in the future?

A: This is only the beginning. MAVII is a significant milestone, but our journey of optimizing the user viewing experience doesn’t end here. We will continuously explore machine recognition and screen adaption technology to bring users worldwide more intelligent and easy-to-use software. Of course, I can’t be more specific about this for the time being, but the future of XGIMI looks bright!