SBIR Phase II: High Efficiency, Low Cost Catadioptric Waveguide and Display Optical Engine for Augmented Reality Smart Glasses using Spatial-temporal Multiplexed Single-CMOS Panel

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project focuses on developing smart glasses that significantly enhance visual quality by solving a key limitation in current Augmented Reality (AR) displays - the inability to show black pixels. This results in muted contrast compared to the vivid visuals on smartphone screens. The company’s display technology will enable high contrast, over 90% transparency, and 50% optical efficiency. This advancement will not only improve the AR experience for general users but also holds promise for people with visual impairments. The proposed work will result in next-generation smart glasses. The proposed project uses the ambient light to form an image and provide digital modulation over it. Since the ambient light is in abundance in outdoor settings, therefore the proposed technology is geared towards outdoor environments, such as utilities, construction, first responders and infrastructure use cases. To mitigate the high cost associated with conventional lens waveguides for smart glasses, the development of Air-Cell Process is proposed which will enable production of low-cost waveguides for AR smart glasses. Since this process uses large panels such as used in LCD flat panel fabrication hence it offers a much lower cost as opposed to etching of wafers as used in conventional waveguides fabrication. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.