Within the AR glasses industry, various enterprises have recently concluded the latest round of financing, encompassing AR glasses, AR display modules, and optical wave devices.

Chinese AR glasses firm Rokid secured USD 112 million fund

According to news on November 20th, Chinese AR glasses firm Rokid achieved a valuation of USD 1 billion and secured a financing of USD 112 million. The funds will be directed towards the expansion of Rokid’s presence in international markets.

Established in 2014 and headquartered in Hangzhou, China, Rokid introduced its latest AR smart glasses products, Rokid Max and Rokid Max Pro, in March and August of this year, respectively, featuring Micro OLED displays.

(Image: Rokid)

Presently, Rokid’s AR glasses are available in over 80 countries and regions worldwide. Rokid has planned to explore the application of AR glasses in the education sector, with an anticipation that its overseas revenue will surpass domestic revenue by 2024.

Notably, Rokid has successfully completed multiple rounds of financing in recent years, accumulating a total of nearly USD 2 billion, according to relevant media reports.

Japanese AR optical firm Cellid completes latest funding round.

Cellid announced that it received an investment from SMBC Nikko Securities in October, and combined with the undisclosed investor in September, the total financing for Cellid reached JPY 2.28 billion (approximately USD 15.25 million).

The funds from this financing round will be allocated for the establishment of mass production and quality control systems, expediting process development, and advancing the research and sales of software such as Model Builder.

(Image: Cellid )

Founded in 2016, Cellid focuses on the development and provision of AR display module hardware and spatial recognition technology software, Model Builder. The company aims to achieve higher-quality AR glasses by addressing both hardware and software components.

In 2021, Cellid initiated the supply of samples for AR glasses display modules, Cellid Waveguide 60, featuring a wider field of view optical (FOV) waveguide and a 1.2 cc size ultra-compact Micro LED projector.

In January this year, Cellid unveiled an optical module for AR glasses, equipped with a Micro LED projector, achieving a field of view of 60 degrees.

AR optical wave device company Raypai secures tens of millions in CNY Funding.

AR optical wave device company Raypai concluded a B-round financing of tens of millions of Chinese Yuan on November 21st. This round of financing was led by CVYE, VDL, and ABCI.

Raypai, known for its self-developed geometric optical waveguide technology and 2D pupil dilation technology, enables optical waveguide devices to maintain excellent optical performance while adopting a compact and lightweight form. This provides a foundation for deeply immersive, highly interactive, and highly integrated AR smart glasses.

(Image: Raypai)

Currently, Raypai has introduced over ten AR geometric optical waveguide display devices, applied in various AR smart terminal products, including QIDI ONE, RokidGLASS2, and Vision Enjoy G510.

Recently, Raypai unveiled its latest 2D geometric optical waveguide product, achieving a breakthrough in the field of view beyond 50 degrees and light efficiency exceeding 2000 nit/lm. The company has collaborated with well-known Chinese enterprises to develop consumer AR geometric optical waveguide devices for new products.

In terms of production, Raypai has completed the construction of a super-precision optical device production base in Kunshan, Jiangsu, achieving full operational status and mass delivery of the entire product line, with an annual production capacity of 120,000 sets of optical waveguide devices. Presently, based on customer demand and market trends, Raypai is planning more extensive production capacity reserves.
(Image: Rokid)

According to anue’s news, during the recent MediaTek 2023 Summit, major IC design firm MediaTek held an overseas summit in the United States and announced a new collaboration with Meta. MediaTek will take charge of developing the chip for Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, replacing the competitor Qualcomm’s Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chip.

Notably, in October 2023,  Meta launched the new generation of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. These feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon AR1 Gen 1 chip, a 12-megapixel camera, and 5 microphones for sending and receiving messages. It is the world’s first smart glasses with Facebook and Instagram live streaming capabilities, enabling the recording of high-quality videos.

MediaTek has long been dedicated to developing low-power, high-performance SoC. This collaboration with Meta focuses on jointly creating a custom chip specifically designed for AR smart glasses, meeting the requirements of lightweight and compact devices. The collaborative product, Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, is expected to be launched in the future.

(Photo credit: MediaTek)

In June of this year, Apple introduced the new Vision Pro headset, priced at $3,499, with plans to release it by early next year (by the end of April).

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in the Power On newsletter, Apple had been considering the development of a cheaper headset even before its June release, as the $3,499 price tag for the Vision Pro is a significant barrier to widespread adoption.

Reportedly, this more affordable follow-up version of the Vision Pro may abandon the use of an external display and Mac-grade chips to fall within the internal discussion range of $1,500 to $2,500. While not exceptionally cheap, it’s nearly half the price of $3,499.

Gurman also stated that this budget-friendly version might employ iPhone-grade chips rather than Mac-grade ones, reduce the number of cameras, and come equipped with a lower-resolution screen to cut costs.

It’s worth noting that forgoing an external display would mean Apple is eliminating a significant feature of the Vision Pro – EyeSight.

Upon first encountering the Vision Pro, individuals unfamiliar with VR technology might think the front of the device is a transparent glass, but in reality, it is an opaque display screen that also includes cameras, sensors, and chips, among other components.

Mike Rockwell, Vice President of the Vision Pro technology development team, explained that the display screen is not only curved but also lens-shaped. This means that users will see different images from various angles, in contrast to traditional 2D displays that can make the user’s eyes look unnatural, especially from a side view.

When someone approaches a user wearing the Vision Pro, the device’s field of view becomes transparent, allowing the user to see the person approaching, and the approaching person can also see the user’s eyes. When users are immersed in a spatial environment or using an app, EyeSight provides visual cues, letting others know what the user is focusing on.

In addition to developing a more affordable model, Apple is also working on a mature second-generation Vision Pro product. The new headset will have a smaller, lighter body and provide a more comfortable fit.

Explore more 

• Decoding Apple’s Display Choice: Micro OLED Triumphs over Micro LED in Vision Pro
• A Comprehensive Overview of Global Micro OLED Manufacturers

(Image: Apple)

According to a report from TechNews, Micro LED technology boasts superior qualities such as higher transparency, richer color saturation, increased brightness, enhanced efficiency, and lower power consumption. It also extends product lifespans, making it an optimal choice for automotive displays. However, it currently grapples with challenges related to cost, mass transfer, extensive inspections, and red light efficiency, posing obstacles to large-scale production.

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Apple has unveiled its long-awaited MR device, “Vision Pro,” which provides a clearer perspective on the potential and applications of AR devices. Despite not being as bulky as VR devices, Vision Pro still has a way to go before reaching the ideal form of AR glasses.

Apple’s Vision Pro utilizes Micro OLED technology and can display facial expressions on the outer screen. The industry anticipates that as AR technology evolves, a transition from Micro OLED to the equally next-gen Micro LED could make AR devices lightweight and more like glasses.

However, the question remains: what advantages does Micro LED bring to AR technology? Why did Apple opt for Micro OLED initially? And are there other display technologies suitable for AR applications?

AR devices: Striking a Balance between Ideal and Reality

In reality, achieving the truly ideal AR product might be premature given current technology. Most AR functional products strictly employ video see-through (VST) technology, where cameras capture real-world scenes, and computational and computer graphic techniques combine to display them on opaque screens.

The ideal is optical see-through (OST) technology, where users perceive the real world through a semi-transparent optical combiner in front of their eyes, coupled with projections onto the user’s eyes, merging the real and virtual worlds.

TrendForce discloses that ideal see-through smart glasses must meet three criteria: firstly, the display light engine must be compact, around 1 inch or smaller, to minimize the glasses’ wearing burden. Secondly, in terms of content recognition requirements, the display brightness specifications should reach at least 4,000 nits to ensure resistance to external factors like weather and environment. Lastly, the resolution must be at least 3,000 PPI for clear projected images.

Industry experts note that see-through AR glasses’ main scenarios are outdoors and on the move. These scenarios require consideration of outdoor weather and brightness, particularly as current waveguide lens efficiency is low, around 0.1-1%, causing substantial light loss. Generally, AR display brightness must exceed 1 million, even 10 million nits.

AR Glasses Development: Which Display Technology Holds the Edge?

Mainstream display technologies for AR glasses include PM(Passive Matrix) micro-display technology, AM(Active Matrix) micro-display technology, and scanning display technology.

PM micro-display technology encompasses LCD, LCOS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon), and DLP (Digital Light Processing) technologies, requiring RGB LED or RGB laser light sources. While mature, they tend to have larger light engines compared to other technologies.

AM micro-display technology includes Micro OLED and Micro LED. Micro OLED features self-emission properties but struggles with brightness. Micro LED outperforms Micro OLED in contrast, lifespan, and power efficiency, but integrating RGB remains challenging.

Scanning display technology (LBS) employs RGB lasers and MEMS for scanning imaging but might lead to speckle.

Analysis of Micro OLED, Micro LED, LCOS, and LBS Technologies

• Micro OLED: Suited for VR/MR devices, but brightness is a limitation

Apple’s Vision Pro uses Micro OLED technology, but its organic light-emitting characteristics result in lower brightness compared to Micro LED, LBS, LCOS, and DLP.

Despite efforts to enhance brightness through different layers, pattern adjustments, and phosphorescent materials, increasing brightness shortens organic material lifespan. Sony remains a key Micro OLED provider, but but recent reports indicate that LGD (LG Display) has joined Apple’s Vision Pro Micro OLED supply chain, potentially boosting production and reducing costs.

• Micro LED: Strongest contender for AR applications but faces technological challenges

Micro LED excels in PPI, brightness, contrast, and light engine size. However, its technological maturity is a major concern. Micro LED AR glasses predominantly display monochrome images due to colorization barriers. Achieving high resolution requires chip scaling, with Micro LED sizes shrinking to 5um. Challenges include uniform wavelength distribution and external quantum efficiency for red LEDs.

• LCOS: Mature but high power consumption and low contrast limit development

LCOS is a common AR device display technology with low cost and broad color gamut. Its reflective nature achieves high brightness, up to 40% light utilization, and increased resolution as semiconductor processes refine. However, it suffers from low contrast and requires a polarizing beam splitter (PBS), hindering downsizing.

• LBS: Small light engine rivaling Micro LED, but technology remains nascent

LBS employs RGB lasers as light sources, via optical element calibration and MEMS image scanning. Light then couples into waveguides. LBS offers high brightness, low power consumption, pure color, and high contrast. However, laser-induced speckle is possible. Ams OSRAM developed an RGB integrated laser with MEMS, shrinking the light engine to under 1cc.

Key Hurdle in AR Glasses Technology: Light Engine Size

Light engine size is pivotal for lightweight AR glasses. To achieve a near-normal glasses form factor, the light engine must be around 1cc or smaller, becoming an industry consensus.

For full-color light engines to reach this target, only LBS, Micro OLED, and Micro LED have opportunities. Micro LED’s pixel size, light efficiency, and brightness outperform Micro OLED, making it the preferred choice for light engines.

However, TrendForce states that while Micro LED’s technology maturity is evolving, challenges remain with red LED external quantum efficiency, micro display size, and FOV issues. Additionally, long-term wear and sensor integration for data transmission and processing pose further challenges.

(Photo credit: Apple)