Prazen was founded and is run by its CEO, Heekyung Kim. The company comes out of Samsung’s creative lab (C-Lab), an incubator of sorts for new startups coming out of that company’s research labs. Kim has authored a number of patents that seem to form the basis of the company’s products. In anticipation of May’s XR conference, AWE 2023, Prazen recently announced that it would be showing both its AR glasses and projection systems. It piqued our interest enough to want to share.
The company claims its AR glasses use a “direct projection” optical layout, which projects light from a micro-display directly into the user’s eyes, resulting in higher light efficiency and a smaller module size. The company also claims that unlike waveguide-based AR modules, its approach minimizes light loss and provides a more comfortable visual experience. Prazen says, its AR glasses offer up to 50% light efficiency, a 70-degree field of view, a module size of 30cc, and a combiner thickness of about 2mm.
However, according to Kim’s own patent for an AR display device, it is a not necessarily that differentiated from existing solutions. The description provided seems to outline a device that incorporates a relay lens array and a combiner to project an image onto a transparent or translucent substrate. While it does not explicitly mention the term waveguide, the described system appears to function in a similar manner, by manipulating and directing light from the micro-display to the wearer’s field of view.
Key components in this AR display device include:
- Micro-display: The light source or projector that generates the images or digital information to be displayed.
- Relay lens array: A series of two or more spherical or aspherical lenses that manipulate and direct the light from the micro-display.
- Combiner: An optical component that works together with the relay lens array to project the image light laterally onto a substrate, achieving an ultra-short throw image.
- Transparent or translucent substrate: A surface onto which the image light is projected, forming the image that the wearer sees.
- Coating or film: A material attached to one surface of the relay lens array, combiner, or substrate to reflect, penetrate, or refract the image light from the micro-display.
The relay lens array and combiner in this system can be considered similar to a waveguide device, as they work together to direct and manipulate the light from the micro-display to the wearer’s field of view. The main difference is that this system describes the use of lenses and a combiner instead of the more typical waveguide approach, which often involves gratings or total internal reflection. Nevertheless, the overall goal and function are similar: to project digital information onto a transparent or translucent substrate in the wearer’s field of view without obstructing their view of the real world.
What would be interesting to know about this device, and I am assuming it will be much clearer once it is seen at AWE 2023, is what’s in it for Samsung? There are a number of innovations here that could be seminal production choices for Samsung in future devices of its own. The transparent substrate and projection system seem to be adaptable to different applications, and could be interesting as having potential for heads-up displays (HUDs) in automobiles. That’s definitely a market that is closer than the horizon for most AR displays.
Let’s add Prasen to the pile of plucky startups looking to change our world view. You never know. With some IP, the weight of Samsung behind it, and some ingenuity, who knows where all this tech will eventually end up.
