Lumus

Lumus, an Israel-based technology company, is known for the production of AR glasses using its patented reflective waveguide technology. The technology is made up of an ultra-thin lens embedded with multiple partially reflective mirrors and a miniature projector. In January 2023, the company created a series of smart glasses using reflective waveguides compatible with prescription lenses. The lenses came with a 2000x2000 resolution and were the second generation of its Z-Lens 2D waveguide technology, halving the size and weight of the technology.

Lumus’ product portfolio also includes the OE Maximus marketed to consumers (launched in May 2021), which it further expanded in April 2022. Other products in the portfolio include the Lumus Vision, catered to enterprise and medical professionals, the OE-50, non-military commercially available AR glasses, and the PD14, a personal display for specialized applications.

As of January 2024, the company was in the process of launching its Minimus OLED-based waveguide display.

In 2005, the company launched an IP portfolio to protect its reflective waveguide concept, following which it launched its first product designed for military use in 2010, followed by the launch of an AR device for medical purposes in 2015. As of January 2023, the company held over 430 patents, with an additional 540 patents pending, which placed the company as a top patent holder in the AR space.

Key customers and partnerships

As of January 2024, the company had sold more than 36,000 optical displays. The company’s key customers include Lenovo, Thales, Augmedics, and ThirdEye. 

In June 2024, the company partnered with AddOptics to create a combined lens system which brings AR images into an ideal viewing distance of a few meters, while keeping the wearer's view of the physical world unchanged. Previously, in January 2024, the company extended its five-year partnership with materials and optics company Schott to boost its manufacturing capacity in Malaysia, allowing it to meet rising demand for AR glasses, alongside the implementation of Lumus’ Z-Lens waveguide design.

Lumus has worked with players in multiple industries, including Lenovo (to support the production of ThinkReality A6 in May 2019), AR company Augmedics (used Lumus’ technology to overlay spinal information on the spine of a patient via a headset in August 2018), and global technology leader Thales (for the creation of Scorpion, a helmet-mounted cueing system for combat pilots in June 2015).

In March 2022, Lumus partnered with Luxexcel to co-develop an AR prescription lens solution, which featured a reflective waveguide, projector, and a prescription lens. Other major partnerships included that with Essilor, an international ophthalmic optics company, SCHOTT, a global manufacturer of specialty glass, to utilize Lumus’ core technology in its manufacturing plants (July 2020), Tobii, to use its eye tracking technology in the Lumus DK50 AR development kit (May 2018), Quanta, an original design manufacturer to license several AR optical engine models, and Deep Optics, a developer of electronic lens technology (December 2017).