ROCHESTER, N.Y., May 31, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Vuzix®
Corporation (NASDAQ: VUZI), ("Vuzix" or, the "Company"), a leading
supplier of Smart Glasses and Augmented Reality (AR) technologies
and products for the consumer and enterprise markets, is pleased to
announce that the Company is partnering with Plessey Semiconductor,
a leading developer of award-winning optoelectronic
solutions. The two companies are partnering to develop
advanced display engines for Vuzix waveguide optics to enable next
generation AR Smart Glasses. The combination of Vuzix'
extensive expertise and IP in smart glasses and waveguide optic
technologies along with Plessey's microLED light source product
family, Quanta-Brite™ will be the basis for a new generation of AR
Smart Glasses with the sleekest form factors to date.
In the development of its next-generation waveguide based
products, Vuzix has selected Plessey's microLED-based Quanta-Brite™
light engine, which delivers extremely high efficiency with
significant improvements in lumen output compared to other light
sources currently available on the market. The smaller and
more efficient microLED based Quanta-Brite™ light engine will not
only result in less energy consumption and improved battery life,
but also enables Vuzix to cut a significant amount of volume from
the display engine in future generations of our waveguide based
smart glasses, while at the same time delivering improved optical
performance at a reduced cost.
Quanta-Brite™ is based on Plessey's advanced and proprietary
gallium-nitride-on-silicon (GaN-on-Si) technology, with an
integrated monolithic array of RGB pixels with advanced
micro-optical elements to create a bright, largely collimated and
highly uniform light source for the illumination in advanced
display engines. The resulting optical system is up to 50%
smaller, lighter, simpler and cheaper than incumbent solutions and
the high performance microLED emitters combined with minimal
optical system losses result is significantly increased power
efficiency. Size, weight and power reduction are key considerations
in AR/MR wearables. Quanta-Brite™ has been designed specifically
for the next generation of Vuzix personal display systems.
The combination of Vuzix' recently announced collaboration with
Qualcomm around the Snapdragon XR1 platform and Plessey's
Quanta-Brite™ microLED™ technology along with our next generation
waveguide optics should enable Vuzix to develop powerful AR smart
glasses in form factors nearly indistinguishable from regular
eyeglasses. These new AR Glasses, expected to be introduced
in 2019, should lead the market in terms of processing power
designed for AR, overall imaging performance and most importantly
style,
"This development with Vuzix, the leading provider of
next-generation augmented reality glasses, is a significant
endorsement of Plessey's GaN-on-silicon microLED approach," said Dr
Keith Strickland, Chief Technology
Officer at Plessey. "Monolithic microLED technology is fast
emerging as the only one that can provide high luminance in a very
small form factor with minimal energy consumption, necessary for
reducing costs and enabling lightweight battery-powered products
for a range of emerging consumer and industrial applications."
"Plessey's Quanta-Brite™ microLED™ technology can be a major
enabler of the future of augmented reality," said Vuzix President
and CEO Paul Travers. "As well as
delivering high-efficiency, low-power and small-size illumination
capabilities, the very high level of luminescence of the
Quanta-Brite™ light source can also enable the development of end
products with a sleeker form factor, which is a key attribute of
our waveguide based Smart Glasses and critical to mass market
adoption."
About Plessey
Plessey is a leading expert in the development and licensing of
technologies that are revolutionizing the solid-state lighting
sector. With its in-depth understanding and breadth of patents
relating to GaN-on-Silicon, the company has established itself as a
valued IP partner to OEMs producing the next generation of
photonics solutions. Plessey has been successfully licensing its
pioneering sensor technology solutions within the healthcare and
automotive sectors for many years.
About Vuzix Corporation
Vuzix is a leading supplier of Smart-Glasses and Augmented
Reality (AR) technologies and products for the consumer and
enterprise markets. The Company's products include personal display
and wearable computing devices that offer users a portable
high-quality viewing experience, provide solutions for mobility,
wearable displays and augmented reality. Vuzix holds 65 patents and
44 additional patents pending and numerous IP licenses in the Video
Eyewear field. The Company has won Consumer Electronics Show (or
CES) awards for innovation for the years 2005 to 2018 and several
wireless technology innovation awards among others. Founded in
1997, Vuzix is a public company (NASDAQ: VUZI) with offices in
Rochester, NY, Oxford, UK and Tokyo, Japan.
Forward-Looking Statements Disclaimer
Certain statements contained in this news release are
"forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and applicable Canadian securities
laws. Forward looking statements contained in this release relate
Plessey Semiconductor as well as the Company's leadership in the
Video Eyewear, VR and AR display industry. They are generally
identified by words such as "believes," "may," "expects,"
"anticipates," "should" and similar expressions. Readers should not
place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are
based upon the Company's beliefs and assumptions as of the date of
this release. The Company's actual results could differ materially
due to risk factors and other items described in more detail in the
"Risk Factors" section of the Company's Annual Reports and MD&A
filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and
applicable Canadian securities regulators (copies of which may be
obtained at www.sedar.com or www.sec.gov). Subsequent events and
developments may cause these forward-looking statements to change.
The Company specifically disclaims any obligation or intention to
update or revise these forward-looking statements as a result of
changed events or circumstances that occur after the date of this
release, except as required by applicable law.
Media and Investor Relations Contact:
Matt Margolis, Director of
Corporate Communications and Investor Relations, Vuzix Corporation
matt_margolis@vuzix.com Tel: (585) 359-5952
Ed McGregor, Director of
Institutional Investor Relations, Vuzix Corporation
ed_mcgregor@vuzix.com Tel: (585) 359-5985
Vuzix Corporation, 25 Hendrix Road, Suite A, West Henrietta, NY 14586 USA,
Investor Information – IR@vuzix.com www.vuzix.com
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SOURCE Vuzix Corporation