The partnership aims to redefine immersive AR glasses experiences at a time when traditional AR displays often struggle to accurately simulate depth perception, resulting in virtual content feeling detached or distant from the real world.
AddOptics has developed an optical lens approach to address this challenge, enabling a unique push-pull method based on the additive property of thin lens diopters.
By combining a positive diopter lens (+0.50 D) with an equal but opposite negative diopter lens (-0.50 D), the company has created a combined lens system with no net optical power (0.00 D) that brings the virtual image to the ideal viewing distance of a couple of meters while keeping the wearer’s view of physical world unchanged.
AddOptics has considerable expertise in creating lenses that are exceptionally thin, lightweight and ultra-flat – essential for precise waveguide bonding – and their lens designs with unique, sharp edges enhance the integration of light engines.
With this partnership, Lumus’ Z-Lens 2D reflective waveguide architecture will be seamlessly integrated into AddOptics' prescription lens, allowing users to enjoy immersive AR experiences without compromising on visual acuity or precision.
"At Lumus, we are committed to making all-purpose AR eyewear a reality," said Eli Glikman, Chief Product Officer at Lumus. "Our collaboration with AddOptics demonstrates the unique value of reflective or geometric waveguides by adding corrective lenses directly to our waveguides. AddOptics shares our mission of improving the overall experience to users, and our partnership represents a significant step forward in readying AR glasses for the masses.”
Introduced last year, Z-Lens features an innovative, lightweight optical engine and industry-leading resolution colour uniformity and brightness to offer enhanced image quality while enabling more natural-looking, unobtrusive AR glasses.
Lumus’ reflective waveguide technology allows direct bonding of prescription lenses. This capability allows AddOptics to bond its prescription lenses directly to Lumus’ waveguide without bulky, heavy inserts, resulting in an optical solution that seamlessly merges virtual content with the real world.
Furthermore, while the baseline solution features no net optical power, AddOptics can further customise its lens based on a wearer’s prescription levels so the user can experience true-to-life near-to-eye experiences in the same sleek form factor.
Commenting Joris Biskop, CEO of AddOptics said that the collaboration offered users a seamless way to address the more than 70% of people who require corrective lenses to interact with digital content through AR glasses. “By pairing our prescription lenses with Lumus’ reflective waveguides, we’re creating personalised AR experiences tailored to the unique visual needs of each user.”
