Akonia Holographies moves into augmented reality.

Akonia Holographies LLC, a start-up based in Colorado, US, has developed HoloMirror[TM] technology, based on volume holography, to enable low cost thin, transparent smart glass lenses that display full colour, wide field of view images for the augmented reality (AR) market.

The Akonia Holographies (AH) team initially started in holographic data storage at InPhase, a spin out from Bell Laboratories, before forming AH and acquiring the assets and the entire patent portfolio from InPhase in 2012.

The company developed a holographic data storage prototype that had a digital data storage density exceeding that of any other commercial technology, before moving, during the past year, to be a component supplier, providing the designs and initial prototypes for holographic displays in AR smart glasses.

However, AH is not unique in its attempt to use holography for this purpose. Many companies from around the world have been working on holographic eyepieces for decades because holography has one huge benefit--it can manipulate light while being perfectly invisible, which is exactly what is needed in an eyepiece.

Ken Anderson (co-founder and CEO) claims the HoloMirror technology is the perfect solution for a transparent eyepiece that combines the view of the outside world with a computer display.

AH uses the same wave guide display technology as Microsoft's HoloLens. But instead of using highly sensitive surface gratings to redirect the light to the eye, it utilises high-performance photopolymers, along with expertise in combining a multitude of holograms in a single layer of polymer to better control the quality and size of the images that are being redirected towards the eye.

According to Anderson, 'our proprietary holographic photopolymers have been developed and refined for over two decades, and along with our ability to design and develop complex holographic recording systems, we have a unique insight into how to use holography to create the most elusive and difficult component of an AR headset: a thin, transparent eyepiece that provides good display performance at a reasonable cost.'

After a year and a half of development, Akonia is now demonstrating full-colour eyepieces that have never before been possible with holography. The goal is to show a full-colour, wide-field-of-view eyepiece by the summer.

Akonia hopes to work with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and produce engineering samples, with 2018 the target for production.

'Our end goal is to license the technology,' Anderson said.

Ultimately he believes Akonia's HoloMirror technology will finally enable AR headsets to be thin, transparent, vibrant, full-colour, and have a wide field of view at a fraction of the cost of competitors.

Holography News[R] hopes to report more on this development as it emerges in the wearable technologies market.

www.akoniaholographics.com

Caption: A view of Akonia's holographic capabilities.

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Please note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.