Intel is preparing for the future by betting big on gesture and voice controls, biometrics, and other "perceptual" computing technologies, according to a report out Computex 2013.
Intel will invest $100 million (about UK£64.9 million, AU$104 million) over the next two to three years in companies that make breakthroughs in these areas, the Wall Street Journal learned at the Taiwanese trade show.
No doubt the company hopes to ride the crest of a wave of such technologies dropping soon, the most recent example being Microsoft's highly publicized Xbox One game console.
"The idea of the $100 million fund is you go find companies that have those kinds of innovative breakthroughs and help get them to work," said Intel's Asia-Pacific Vice President Gregory Bryant.
The future is hands free
Other technologies Intel will focus on include imaging and emotion sensing, the WSJ reported.
The site added that Intel is already working with a firm called Creative Technology on 3D cameras for PCs that will go on sale this year, as well as with other hardware manufacturers on getting depth-sensing 3D cameras built into devices.
But Intel executives wouldn't mention any specific companies that will benefit from the $100 million fund, according to the WSJ.
Last year Intel announced it was working with Nuance, makers of Dragon dictation and speech recognition software, on new software for Intel laptops.
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