Facebookparent firm Meta has acquired prescription lens 3D printing specialistLuxexcel.
Luxexcel使用其专有的VisionPlatform技术，能够将WaveGuides，全息膜和LCD屏幕等智能设备直接嵌入眼镜镜片中。以前曾与公司合作Aria Project, it’s likely Meta will now deploy 3D printing in the development of further augmented reality (AR) glasses, as well as technologies that make its metaverse more immersive.
Though little has been made public about the terms of the deal, Meta has issued a statement saying: “We are delighted that the Luxexcel team has joined Meta. This extends the partnership between the two companies.”
Luxexcel’s VisionPlatform technology
Based in Antwerp, Belgium, Luxexcel has worked since 2009 to develop a more efficient way of mass-producing prescription lenses. These lenses tend to be manufactured via a process of around 30 steps, which necessitates the keeping of large inventories and yields high wastage, but Luxexcel’s technology whittles this right down.
Instead of relying on grinding and polishing, the firm’sVisionPlatform看到这种镜头在材料喷射过程中逐层构建。通过精确沉积数十亿个丙烯酸树脂液滴，据说该技术能够实现具有光滑表面的自定义处方镜头设计，这些表面不需要任何后处理。
该过程的另一个好处是，它允许以波导或膜的LCD形式集成智能技术本身。从理论上讲，这对于能够通过产生的镜片享受AR体验的处方眼镜可能是有利的，而不必挤压下面的现有眼镜。
To bring this idea from concept to reality, Luxexcel has previously worked withLumus开发原型AR准备的3D打印处方镜头. In 2021, the firm also partnered with another waveguide manufacturer,WaveOptics, to hone a set of具有AR功能的智能眼镜, designed to offer vision correction and AR capabilities in a compact form factor.
Meta的长期AR野心
通过其Meta Reality Labs部门，Meta继续不懈地努力确定利用AI，神经控制接口，触觉反馈和全身跟踪的新方法，以提供突破性的AR体验。在2021年重命名之前，Facebook Reality Lab团队揭幕了3D打印VR游戏手套. More recently, these engineers have also come up with3D打印的游戏控制器标签.
That said, having bought the technology behind itsMeta Quest该公司通过收购Oculus的游戏耳机对非凡的发展业务并不陌生。首先reported by De Tijd, Meta has now continued on this path, by acquiring Luxexcel. While the exact terms of the deal haven’t been made public, it’s said that it will strengthen existing ties between the firms.
In 2020, the companies worked together as part of Project Aria. This saw the development of an experimental set of AR glasses, capable of capturing real-world data from a first-person perspective. At the time, Luxexcel’s exact role in the initiative wasn’t disclosed, and Meta later emphasized that it still had “a long way to go” before its glasses would hit the market, but it has since made further progress.
Meta与之合作Ray-Banto launch雷·邦斯的故事去年，一双智能眼镜配有相机，扬声器和麦克风。在购买Luxexcel的协议之后，该公司可能会利用其获得的技术来促进其现实实验室团队的研发工作，并进一步主管安德鲁·博斯沃思（Andrew Bosworth）概述的计划，在“元现实”中融合身体和虚拟世界。
“Mixed reality is a key part of the journey toward full augmented reality devices, and eye and face tracking is an essential piece of the technology stack needed for AR and VR devices to reach their full potential,” Bosworth wrote last year. “Over time it’s clear that mixed reality will help VR devices become increasingly compelling alternatives to laptops and desktop computers, placing virtual screens and interfaces on your desk or in your hands.”
Luxexcel已成为新兴眼镜镜头3D打印空间中的早期领导者，但是在添加剂制造的框架方面，该田地更加激烈。在过去，物质化已投资于同上，是一个在线眼镜平台的开发人员，该平台允许客户设计和“尝试”定制3D打印框架。
More recently, anEOS3D printed eyewear study found that one of its customers,YOU MAWO, was able to reduce its carbon footprint by 58% via the adoption of its technologies. Through a full life cycle analysis (LCA), which took into account each stage of the production process from material sourcing to packaging and shipping, the firm uncovered significant 3D printing sustainability benefits.
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特色图显示了Meta原型ARIA SmartGlasses的渲染。通过元图像。
