Himax, along with its subsidiary Liqxtal Technology, has announced the launch of their patented Liqxtal Graph display glasses. The technology will make its debut at the Vision Expo West 2023, scheduled to take place from September 27 to 30, 2023, in Las Vegas.
The Liqxtal Graph technology is based on reflective TFT liquid crystal architecture, allowing the glasses to display colored digital content like text, figures, and animations directly on the outer lens. Unlike other smart glasses, the Liqxtal Graph does not compromise the user’s line of sight, offering a wearing experience similar to conventional eyewear, according to the manufacturers.
The pitch from both companies is that the glasses can serve as an innovative display platform that dynamically projects virtual colored objects onto the lenses with minimal power consumption. This opens up a wide range of applications for the technology, including real-time signage, interactive gaming, and social media interaction, among others. Liqxtal Technology claims that it is actively collaborating with customers in various sectors, including boutiques, fashion, sports, gaming, concerts, and amusement parks.
Liqxtal develops various kinds of optical components that are based on liquid crystals. These include:
- LC Lens for Ophthalmic Application: Liquid crystal lenses that can be used in eye care or vision-related technologies.
- LC Diffuser for 3D Sensing: Liquid crystal diffusers that can help in 3D sensing applications, possibly useful in technologies like facial recognition or object detection.
- LC Retarder for Light Sensing: Liquid crystal retarders that can modulate the properties of light, likely used in light-sensing technologies.
Liqxtal has also designed a high-voltage, tunable-frequency liquid crystal driver named LQ001. The driver has a very small size, measuring just 1mm x 2mm, making it ideal for portable or handheld devices where space is a constraint. It has developed a tunable backlight system with local dimming capability. This system is powered by a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), which is a type of hardware that can be reprogrammed to carry out specific tasks, making the system more flexible and adaptable for niche applications.
