May 14, 2019 – Vuzix Corporation and Plessey, a developer of advanced optoelectronic technologies, today announced an exclusive display device design and long-term supply agreement. This agreement will support the development and production of AR products and solutions that combine Plessey’s microLED light source technology with Vuzix’ expertise in smart glasses and optics technologies.
Vuzix has already developed an evolving family of Smart Glasses culminating in the Vuzix Blade smart glasses, which provide a see-through viewing experience via Vuzix’ proprietary waveguide optics. Formed from glass with precision nanostructures, the waveguide enables users to see high-resolution computer-generated graphics, images and information superimposed over images from the physical or real world.
Vuzix states that Plessey’s microLED solution will help to simplify existing smart glasses’ complex optical system of red, green and blue light sources and their additional optics by replacing it with a single self-emitting display which has integrated micro-optical elements. With size, weight and power reduction key considerations in the AR wearables market, utilizing an emissive microLED means more simple optical requirements, allowing for a smaller hardware footprint, with minimal system losses achieved by placing the light source directly in front of the waveguide.
“We are very excited to expand our relationship with Plessey. Their microLED technology represents a key part of the solution needed to bring the form and functionality of Vuzix next generation smart glasses to the look and feel of fashion forward glasses, solutions the world will be clamouring for,” said Paul Travers, President and Chief Executive Officer at Vuzix.
Mike Lee, President of Corporate and Business Development at Plessey, stated: “By overcoming the difficulties of manufacturing microLEDs on a commercial scale, Plessey is playing a central role in providing next-generation technology to the Augmented Reality and display markets”.
Image credit: Plessey
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.