Holography startups partner to help 3D displays proliferate at the device edge
Two startups in London say they are partnering to accelerate the development of holographic systems for consumer applications.
VividQ Ltd. and TruLife Optics Ltd. are working on a prototype vehicle dash display and another prototype that would be part of wearables that display augmented reality holographs. Such devices are representative of a wave of graphics-intensive AR/VR applications that could benefit from edge computing services.
VividQ makes holography software for displays. The three-year-old firm makes a complete software platform that can create images using only standard computing power.
TruLife develops optical components for wearable, augmented reality devices. It claims its systems can display transparent, full color, three-dimensional images using optics that are less than 3mm thick.
Darran Milne, co-founder and chief executive of VividQ, posted a note on LinkedIn summarizing the move. Milne said that his company would integrate its real-time hologram-generation software with TruLife’s optics based on holographic optical elements. Such elements include lenses and filters that are made using holographic imagine processes or principles. TruLife’s technology is said to enable lower cost of production compared to other approaches.
The combination of software and hardware technologies also illustrates how companies are trying to address the shortcomings of existing AR/VR hardware. One of the more common issues with VR headsets and smartglass devices is device resolution, which impacts user experience and, in some cases, can cause fatigue and other symptoms over an extended period of use.
VividQ says its software can eliminate eye strain and other physical symptoms that come with the use of other non-holographic display technologies and can be used to adjust for conditions such as display curvature (useful for windshields, for instance).
Investing in AR/VR
VividQ has raised three rounds of venture money – two seed and one pre-seed – for a total of £6.2 million ($7.65 million). The most recent round was raised in December 2019.
Of its three investors, according to CrunchBase, UTEC Co. Ltd. (University of Tokyo Edge Capital) and Suir Valley Venture have made placements in edge plays and Internet of Things plays, respectively.
A survey conducted by Perkins Coie, an international law firm, shows while gaming will still get the most investment in 2019, interest in entertainment and gaming segments were on the decline from previous surveys.
Meanwhile, manufacturing and automotive applications of virtual and augmented reality joined other non-consumer applications like construction and healthcare as receiving increased investment through 2019.
Altran, Ori aim to promote edge computing for wireless networks
Article Topics
3D | device edge | edge computing | holography | HUD | TruLife Optics | VividQ
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