Niantic and Samsung Invest $50 Million in AR-Display Maker DigiLens
Niantic and Samsung have invested $50 million in AR-Display maker DigiLens. The company states that although there is a lot of excitement around Augmented Reality in general, its success and the feasibility of products is solely dependent on the waveguide technology powered displays getting thinner, better and cheaper. DigiLens will be solely focusing on solving this major industry roadblock via the funding it has received. This Series C investment was led by Universal Display Corporation’s venture arm along with Samsung Ventures. Previously, DigiLens has raised.
Previously, DigiLens had announced that Mitsubishi and Niantic ( Poke`mon makers) would be investing. The Series C investment gets DigiLens’ grand total to $85 million, so far. The California based start-up, raised, $22 million in 2017 — the investors were –
- Foxconn
- Sony
- Panasonic
The specialty of Waveguide displays is that the projected image load from the side of the glass sheet making a complete image in front of the eye. This is perfect for an augmented reality where users ideally like the least amount of hardware in front of their eye. While there are other methods of making AR gear that is extremely cheaper than Waveguide technology, industry stalwarts believe that in order to make real AR products, it will have to be the evolution of waveguide capabilities to make products that consumers actually like and find useful and fun.
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As a part of the company’s roadmap, Digilens wants to penetrate into the automotive technology landscape to implement its see-through displays.
In a statement, CEO Chris Pickett declared that his startup’s manufacturing process was building “the only waveguide that can get to a consumer price point..”
The competition is stiff for DigiLens with major players developing similar technology. Some of them are –
- Magic Leap
- Microsoft
- Apple
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