February 10, 2021 – Luxexcel, a provider of 3D printed prescription lenses, and WaveOptics, a designer and manufacturer of waveguides and light engines, have collaborated to create a module integrating three of the vital elements required for developing consumer augmented reality (AR) smart glasses: a 3D printed prescription lens, a waveguide, and a projector.
The module, manufactured with Luxexcel’s patented 3D printing platform, features a fully encapsulated waveguide in the curved body of a 3D printed prescription lens. According to the companies, high-quality images are maintained because the waveguide remains completely flat and an air gap is created during the printing process. The 3D printed structure also provides an accurate mounting for the projector, ensuring perfect alignment when assembled into an optical module.
Guido Groet, Chief Strategy Officer at Luxexcel said: “About 70% of the adult world population today need vision correction to see their best. Providing consumers with a single device that integrates both their prescription requirements, as well as smart technologies from leaders such as WaveOptics, is a prerequisite in enabling the adoption of smart glasses by the mass consumer market. The combined strengths of the partnership: Luxexcel’s 3D printing platform and WaveOptics’ waveguides, create augmented reality prescription eyewear that everyone has been waiting for.”
Phil Greenhalgh, Chief Technology Officer at WaveOptics added: “The combination of WaveOptics’ Katana waveguide, the thinnest and lightest waveguide on the market today, with the complete encapsulation provided by Luxexcel’s printed lenses creates an incredibly compact and robust solution that will withstand real-world use. This partnership provides a solution for two of the major product planning challenges all of our customers face: how to address prescription accommodation and delivering a robust waveguide in a form factor that can go into a consumer product.”
The module will be shown for the first time at the SPIE AR, VR and MR conference in March 2021 where both companies will feature in a virtual fireside chat to discuss the partnership and their respective technologies. Prototype samples of the module will be available for customers in Q2 2021.
For more information on Luxexcel and its 3D printed prescription lenses, click here. For further information on WaveOptics and its waveguide and projector technology, please click here.
Image credit: WaveOptics
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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.