Could 2021 be the year for mass market AR smartglass adoption?
Not to be mistaken for VR which is virtual reality into which the viewer is immersed, AR is where you are very much in the real world, aided by digital information overlaid in front of your view.
The challenges are immense
For over 5 years there have been varied successes of AR wearables. The key components which enable AR headsets and smartglasses are the waveguides and light engines. In simple terms, the waveguide sits within the lens and this is where the digital information is displayed. The light engine is a mini projector which generates the image. The symbiotic relationship of the two is critical to get the crystal-clear image quality consumers expect. WaveOptics’ mission is to design and manufacture these keys to unlock the potential of AR smartglasses for the consumer mass market.
Building on the successful launch of the single plate Katana waveguide at Photonics West in 2020, WaveOptics has expanded the companies’ product portfolio to be the broadest on the market, allowing maximum end customer use cases. The innovation and usability of the waveguide platform was recognized in 2021 at SPIE, winning the Vision Technology PRISM Award.
The waveguides are currently being designed into products that are beginning to be deployed by customers worldwide. WaveOptics will be sharing two customer case studies to demonstrate how our customers are using our products to develop meaningful augmented reality experiences.
WaveOptics Waveguide Customer Case Studies
The first case study will demonstrate an application for an augmented reality headset used for inspections in a semi-conductor factory in Taiwan linking the on-site user to a virtual expert to improve efficiency. The second will be about another leading ODM in Taiwan who recently won an iF design award for their smartglasses for industrial, medical and government use.
AR Wearable Optics – Explained
All these successes are based on WaveOptics’ core intellectual property which is fundamental to all their platforms. Learn more about how waveguides enable augmented reality by watching this 90 second introduction. Or sit back and listen to one of Director of Engineering David Grey explain it further here.
To stay up to date with WaveOptics and our ground-breaking work, follow us on Twitter @Wave_Optics and our LinkedIn page.
To request an interview with a WaveOptics spokesperson about our technology or the AR wearables industry, please contact our new head of marketing Clare Hunter or email.
