Snapchat is reported to have “secretly” acquired 3D photo app Seene, in a move TechCrunch said gives it technology enabling “a brand new category of selfie lenses, a new 3D photo format, and potentially future virtual reality projects”.

Seene’s technology has been designed from the ground up for use in real-time applications on mobile devices.

According to Seene’s website, its enables mobile devices to locate themselves in space, map visual environments, and recreate in 3D what is seen through the camera, turning a standard smartphone into a 3D scanner without the use of additional hardware.

Sources told TechCrunch Snapchat was interested in the technology and its engineering team more than for its consumer product.

Seene’s team is split between the US and London and will move to Los Angeles, where Snapchat is based, although not all employees have been “acqui-hired”.

The report also said the price for the acquisition is low, and is a cash and share deal. The startup had reportedly raised $600,000 from investors like Knight Foundation and Kima Ventures.