Apple Inc., the produce of widely popular iPhones and iPad, has confirmed that that it has acquired Israel-based motion sensor maker PrimeSense.

The acquisition of PrimeSense, which specializes in manufacturing 3D motion detection technology, has re-triggered speculation about the Cupertino, California-based tech giant's plans to develop new products like Apple TV.

Around two years back, in October 2011, the Cupertino firm had filed for a patent for some new ways to manage devices without involving physical contact. Nitin Bhat, of consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, said using gesture-based, touch-less control of devices was emerging as a mega trend in the industry.

Confirming the acquisition, a spokesperson for the Cupertino firm said, "Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time, and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans."

Neither Apple nor Prime Sense did reveal the financial details of the deal. PrimeSense confirmed the deal, but declined to comment further. However, some reports pegged the deal amount at $360 million (around £222 million).

Apple acquired the Israeli motion sensor maker at a time when it is ever more experimenting with gesture control technologies. PrimeSense has carved a niche for itself by developing gesture control for Redmond-based software giant Microsoft's widely acclaimed Kinect sensor.