DeepOptics 32°N adaptive focus sunglass |
The proprietary technology that makes this possible utilizes liquid crystal (LC) layers that are split into tiny pixels, capable of rotation at every point of the panel. When the user swipes, they activate a tiny processor embedded in the glasses’ temple. The processor calculates the user’s personal data and sends that data to form the desired lens prescription. Millions of tiny pixels inside the lens change their electrical state according to the new data to form the lens and bring the close object into focus. Completely silent, and without any extra weight or moving parts, DeepOptics’ LC lens enables an unlimited number of dynamic, high-quality lenses that can be changed at any moment.
The wearer’s initial reading magnification power is determined through a simple set-up process using a special phone app. The distance between centers of active lenses can be controlled and changed according to the wearer’s inter-pupilary-distance (IPD). The IPD can be modified for different viewing conditions.
Yariv Haddad |
The partnership between DeepOptics and EssilorLuxottica is rooted in the relationship between Haddad and Denis Cohen-Tannoudji, senior vice president smart vision solutions at Essilor. The two executives started talking with each about electronic eyewear nearly a decade ago. Their conversations led Essilor to take a stake in the DeepOptics in 2016, as VMail reported. Now, with financing from longtime backers Essilor (now EssilorLuxottica) and Samsung Ventures, DeepOptics is entering the ophthalmic optics market with an eye towards introducing other first-of-a-kind products.
EssilorLuxottica’s involvement with DeepOptics extends beyond financing to include R&D support. “Essilor has been proud to partner with Deep Optics for several years in developing smart eyewear solutions that adapt to the user’s environment and needs,” said Cohen-Tannoudji. “We are pleased with the company’s rollout of 32°N and happy to support this project with our engineering and design know-how.”
Denis Cohen-Tannoudji |
Haddad said that Essilor also lent its marketing support to the collaboration. “We are a technology-based company, and the marketing team at Essilor is much more familiar with what the market needs. They helped us focus on the right value proposition, not only in the actual engineering but also in planning the product and designing what kind of features we want to offer.
“We probably wouldn't be able to offer this kind of product at this level without the support of Essilor,” Haddad added. “This is the first collaboration, and we're expecting even deeper collaboration with future products.”
Both Haddad and Cohen-Tannoudji declined to say exactly what products their respective companies are developing or what the timetable for introducing them might be. However, Haddad said, “dynamic lenses that can address presbyopia will definitely be on our roadmap. We are actually planning a more complex product that includes automatic adaptation of the glasses with a sensor integrated into the sunglasses.”