Salford Tech Firm Captive Devices Enters £2.8bn Virtual Production Market
Salford-based technology company Captive Devices has successfully launched its first commercial motion capture system, targeting the lucrative £2.8 billion virtual production industry. Founded by three former Epic Games engineers, the firm has transformed an early prototype into a market-ready product called CoreHMC.
Innovation Support Fuels Development
The company's breakthrough came with crucial support from the GM Business Growth Hub's Innovation Service. This partnership helped secure a £10,000 innovation grant that funded an extensive research and development programme. The grant enabled collaboration with hardware developers to refine the prototype into a flagship standalone product.
Further assistance came through the Media City Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub, which provided additional funding along with technical validation and commercialisation support. This comprehensive backing proved instrumental in accelerating the product's journey to market.
CoreHMC: Streamlined Motion Capture Technology
CoreHMC represents a significant advancement in facial motion capture technology. The system captures detailed human facial expressions and seamlessly converts them into digital animation data. What sets it apart is its user-friendly design – it functions straight out of the box without requiring custom software builds or complex camera rigs.
Early adoption has been promising, with the system already being implemented by notable clients including Dambuster Studios and the University of Salford, where it has been integrated into the Creative Industries programme.
Commercial Success and Expansion Plans
The commercial response has exceeded expectations, with early sales surpassing £250,000. The company now forecasts revenue exceeding £500,000 in its second year of operation, supported by newly developed in-house manufacturing capabilities.
A current £43,000 innovation project is driving development of an integrated camera-tracking system, designed to make virtual production tools accessible to studios of all sizes. This new system has already generated significant international interest, with distribution partners in the United States, India, South Korea, and Japan expressing keen interest.
Strategic Manufacturing Investment
Working collaboratively with the Business Growth Hub, Captive Devices secured a £14,340 capital expenditure grant to establish comprehensive in-house manufacturing facilities. These include custom-designed workstations for rapid prototyping, electronics assembly, and quality control processes.
Fred Isaac, co-founder of Captive Devices, emphasized the transformative impact of this support: "Innovation has been central to everything we're building, and GM Business Growth Hub has been instrumental in helping us grow faster and more confidently. Their support helped us navigate early technical challenges, secure crucial funding, access specialist expertise, and commercialise our product far sooner than we could have achieved alone."
Regarding the manufacturing investment, Mr. Isaac added: "These facilities have significantly increased our operational capacity. Having access to capital investment at the right time has given us faster turnaround, better control over intellectual property, and the ability to scale at the pace the market requires."
The company's trajectory demonstrates how strategic innovation support can accelerate technology commercialization, particularly in the rapidly expanding virtual production sector where streamlined, accessible solutions are in high demand.
