Manohar Srikanth

👋 Hi, I’m Dr. Manohar Srikanth, System Architect, Apple Inc. · AI Vision Pioneer · Inventor

I design AI you can wear — systems that see, sense, and respond seamlessly. I specialize in computational imaging, spatial perception, and intelligent camera architectures that power the future of wearable AI assistants, augmented reality, and human-computer interaction. Over the past two decades, I’ve helped shape flagship technologies at Apple, Meta, Nokia, and multiple startups. At Apple, I’m currently leading the camera architecture for a next-generation wearable AI platform being developed inside the Vision Products Group — the same team behind Apple Vision Pro. I’m also a co-inventor of the foundational passthrough system for Vision Pro (PCT/US2024/029534). Earlier, I developed: Apple’s first behind-display camera prototype, enabling eye-contact FaceTime and notch-free design Embedded vision systems for secure fingerprint imaging A robotic and light-field based telepresence platform, years before Project Starline Infrared light field tools for FaceID training via synthetic data My Ph.D. from MIT focused on computational photography and robotics — including a widely cited project on drone-based lighting for cinematography. That work earned Best Paper honors and helped define new paradigms in creative robotics. Beyond engineering, I’m also a passionate digital photographer and visual storyteller. My work has been featured in exhibitions and publications — you can explore it here.

✨ Vision I believe the most compelling AI assistants will be ambient, context-aware, and emotionally aligned — systems that enhance focus, creativity, and everyday intelligence without demanding your attention.

📬 Let’s Connect I’m always open to thoughtful conversations, collaborations, and advisory roles in the space of wearable AI, perception, and human-centered product design. Feel free to reach out or explore some of my recent work and projects.

I thrive at the intersection of perception, computation, and user experience — bringing systems-level thinking to everything I build. At Apple, I helped define foundational imaging features for future AI-first products. At MIT, I developed the drone lighting system that became a touchpoint for creative robotics. I’m also a passionate digital photographer with multiple solo exhibitions — see my work at mit.smugmug.com.

Dr. Manohar Srikanth now focuses on bringing AI into every part of people's lives through intuitive, "transparent" physical interfaces. With deep expertise in sensor technology and AI systems, he is developing truly effortless and proactive assistants that blend into daily routines — whether through intelligent home systems, wearable devices, or ambient AR interfaces — enhancing productivity, creativity, and well-being without demanding attention.

Explore my publications and patents, or get in touch to collaborate on next-generation vision technology. I bring grit, creativity, and a commitment to building powerful platforms that elevate human experience.

Invention Summary

📱 "In 2016, I built a camera that vanished behind the screen—before the world knew it was possible."

👓 “In 2015, I prototyped a headset that could see the world—because I believed VR shouldn’t isolate us, it should reconnect us. Eight years later, that idea helped shape Apple Vision Pro.”

Apple Vision Pro Foundational Patent

In 2015—well before “spatial computing” entered the mainstream—I envisioned a future where headsets wouldn’t isolate people from the world, but weave the real and digital together. While most of the industry focused on immersion through detachment, I began prototyping a radically different approach: two stereo vision cameras mounted onto a commercial headset, capturing the world in front of the user and feeding it back into the display in real time. That rough prototype became the first internal demonstration of passthrough vision at Apple—and sparked a new direction. What began as a technical curiosity quickly revealed its emotional power. Seeing your own hands, your room, or a friend through the headset shattered the barrier between real and virtual. It became clear that this was about more than optics—this was about presence, empathy, and trust. I helped define the essential technical metrics—latency, color fidelity, field of view, viewpoint translation—that would shape Apple’s internal product vision for years to come. That early groundwork contributed to U.S. Patent Application US20240385454A1, co-invented with a remarkable team that included Mike Rockwell, head of Apple’s Vision Products Group. The patent captures a key architecture: a head-mounted display with integrated passthrough cameras, enabling immersive yet socially aware mixed reality. It took eight years—and an extraordinary journey of innovation, iteration, and perseverance—before that vision became reality. In Feb 2nd 2024, Apple Vision Pro launched to the world. While I’m proud to have planted one of the earliest seeds, I’m even more honored to have contributed to a product built by thousands of brilliant people across the globe. Together, we crafted something that redefines how humans and technology can coexist—seamlessly, expressively, and with purpose.

The Disappearing Camera: Apple’s First Under-Display Vision System

In 2015–2016—years before under-display cameras became an industry focus—I led the development of one of Apple’s earliest systems that allowed a front-facing camera to image through the screen itself. This was more than a hardware breakthrough—it was a vision for making technology recede into the background while deepening human connection. Our goal was to enable natural eye-contact FaceTime—without notches, bezels, or visible sensors. To get there, I architected and prototyped a working system that captured reliable imagery through an OLED display, solving challenges across diffraction physics, signal loss, and color distortion. This wasn’t an academic demo—it worked, and it shifted thinking internally. At the time, the industry was still optimizing for megapixels and bezel trims. We were asking the harder question: How do you make the camera vanish—and still see clearly? This effort required tight integration across imaging pipelines, display materials, optical modeling, and user experience design. It ultimately helped spark long-term exploration at Apple into sensor invisibility, notch-free design, and emotionally intelligent hardware—themes that now shape product directions across the industry. 🔗 This foundational work is captured in U.S. Patent US 12,124,291 B2 — granted years later, but based on work that began in 2015. I’m proud to have been one of the first in the world to prototype this idea at a system level—and to have contributed to a roadmap that continues to unfold today.