Lumus, the pioneering developer of reflective waveguide technology for augmented reality (AR) eyewear, announced today that it is expanding its five-year long partnership with SCHOTT, international technology group and manufacturer of high-tech materials and optics including SCHOTT RealView® high-index wafers and reflective waveguides, to meet the growing worldwide demand for optical AR glasses.
To support this expanded partnership, SCHOTT is now significantly enhancing its manufacturing footprint in Penang, Malaysia, by adding a new production facility. The Malaysia plant has been in operation for more than 50 years; employs more than 1,000 passionate #glasslovers; and serves as a manufacturing hub for optical components used in consumer electronics, industrial, and medical applications.
“In early 2019, Lumus and SCHOTT began a strategic partnership with the goal of enabling cost-effective, mass-scale manufacturing of the reflective waveguides featured in our Lumus 2D Maximus architecture," Lumus CEO Ari Grobman said today. “Now, SCHOTT is processing waveguides for our next-generation Z-Lens waveguide architecture that enables us to develop even smaller, lighter AR eyeglasses with high-resolution image quality, outdoor-compatible brightness, and seamless Rx integration. The success of our partnership is helping to make high quality optical AR glasses a practical reality for the mass market.”
In the first phase of the five-year partnership, SCHOTT established a sampling line in Malaysia, where it successfully developed the processing and metrology capabilities to provide customers with prototypes and better understand their manufacturing requirements.
In the second phase, SCHOTT focused on developing the equipment and processing platform to meet the stringent requirements of industrial manufacturing for these customers. The engine of this processing platform is Lumus’s new Z-lens reflective waveguide architecture that’s designed to meet the imminent customer demand for AR glasses.
As a result of these investments, together with the planned further expansion of the Malaysia Advanced Optics Hub, the partnership can now support all phases of product development in consumer electronics, including proof-of-concept prototype development, engineering samples, and mass-market scale manufacturing.
“This expanded partnership with Lumus represents the logical next step in SCHOTT’s history of pioneering innovations in optics and vision technology that turn visions into a reality,” said Dr. Ruediger Sprengard, Head of Augmented Reality at SCHOTT. “As a global leader in waveguide components for AR, we are leveraging our expertise in melting, coating, and the highest-precision processing of glass. We are committed to investing further in the expansion of our processing hub for optical components in Malaysia. With this expansion, we are well positioned to meet the growing demand in cutting-edge optics such as AR waveguides based on Lumus’ Z-lens architecture.”
Back to News
