VoxelSensors, a Belgian deep-tech company, has announced a collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies to improve next-generation depth sensing for extended reality (XR) devices. The company claims its new Single Photon Active Event Sensor (SPAES™) technology can deliver up to 10 times power savings while keeping latency low, even in challenging lighting conditions.
This collaboration will see VoxelSensors’ sensing system optimized for the Snapdragon AR2 Gen 1 Platform. The solution will first be made available to select customers and partners by December 2025.
Depth sensing is one of the biggest challenges for XR devices and robotics. Current sensors often struggle with power efficiency and performance in different environments. VoxelSensors says SPAES can solve both problems. The technology not only extends how sensors work in variable conditions but also captures data from the user’s point of view. This “egocentric” data is key to building what the company calls Physical AI—machines that can learn from human perspectives and adapt to individual needs.
Speaking on the announcement, Johannes Peeters, CEO of VoxelSensors, said the collaboration is a big step forward:
“After five years of developing our technology, we see our vision being realized through optimizations with Snapdragon XR Platforms. With our sensors ideally suited for next-generation 3D sensing and eye-tracking systems, we see great potential in enabling truly personal AI agent interactions only available on XR devices.”
Qualcomm also highlighted the importance of the partnership. Ziad Asghar, SVP & GM of XR at Qualcomm Technologies, said that for the XR industry to grow, devices need to be smaller, faster, and more power-efficient. He sees VoxelSensors’ technology as a way to make lightweight AR glasses that people can wear comfortably all day.
VoxelSensors is working on further miniaturizing its technology to fit into commercial products. Together with Qualcomm, it hopes to push XR devices closer to mainstream adoption by making them more practical for everyday use. If successful, this could open the door for new AR glasses and headsets with longer battery life, better performance, and smarter user interactions.
