Learn how waveguide optics power immersive, high-quality displays in augmented reality glasses.
Category: augmented reality
CEA-Leti to Present Breakthrough Toward Ultra-Compact, High-Resolution AR/VR Displays at MicroLED Connect Conference
Interesting.
GRENOBLE, France – Sept. 16, 2025 – CEA-Leti and the Centre for Research on Heteroepitaxy and its Applications (CRHEA) today announced R&D results that have cleared a path toward full-color microdisplays based on a single material system, a long-standing goal for augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technologies.
The project, presented in a paper published in Nature Communications Materials, developed a technique for growing high-quality InGaN-based quantum wells on sub-micron nanopyramids, enabling native emission of red, green, and blue (RGB) light from a single material system. Titled “Regular Red-Green-Blue InGaN Quantum Wells With In Content Up To 40% Grown on InGaN Nanopyramids”, the paper will be presented at the MicroLED Connect Conference on Sept. 24, in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
Microdisplays for immersive devices require bright RGB sub-pixels smaller than 10 × 10 microns. According to the paper, “the use of III-nitride materials promises high efficiency micro-light emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) compared to their organic counterparts. However, for such a pixel size, the pick and place process is no longer suitable for combining blue and green micro-LEDs from III-nitrides and red micro-LEDs from phosphide materials on the same platform.” Red-emitting phosphide micro-LEDs also suffer from efficiency losses at small sizes, while color conversion methods face challenges in deposition precision and stability.
Meta’s new ultra-thin flat-panel display could change the future of screens
Meta has developed a new flat ultra-thin panel laser display that could lead to lighter, more immersive augmented reality (AR) glasses and improve the picture quality of smartphones, tablets and televisions. The new display is only two millimeters thick and produces bright, high-resolution images.
Flat-panel displays, particularly those illuminated by LEDs, are ubiquitous, seen in everything from smartphones and televisions to laptops and computer monitors. But no matter how good the current technology is, the search for better is always ongoing. Lasers promise superior brightness and the possibility of making the technology smaller and more energy efficient by replacing bulky and power-hungry components with compact laser-based ones.
However, current laser displays still need large, complex optical systems to shine light onto screens. Previous attempts at making flat-panel laser displays have come up short as they required complex setups or were too difficult to manufacture in large quantities.
Invisible Mobile Robots Can Make Deliveries To VR & AR, Princeton Researchers Show
Researchers made a robot that can make deliveries to VR. They call it Skynet.
AI tech breathes life into virtual companion animals
Researchers at UNIST have developed an innovative AI technology capable of reconstructing highly detailed three-dimensional (3D) models of companion animals from a single photograph, enabling realistic animations. This breakthrough allows users to experience lifelike digital avatars of their companion animals in virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and metaverse environments.
It Feels Like Apple Is Trying To Lose
Apple’s prioritization of shareholder value through massive share buybacks over investing in innovation and R&D may be a strategic misstep that could hinder its future success and allow competitors to gain an edge, particularly in emerging markets like AI
## Questions to inspire discussion.
Innovation and Investment.
🔬 Q: How could Apple’s buyback program have been used differently? A: A: Apple’s $700 billion share buyback over the past decade could have been invested in R&D to develop innovative products like a car, potentially yielding greater long-term value.
🤖 Q: What is Apple’s current stance on AI development? A: Apple’s inaction in AI is notable, with Siri’s performance declining over time, indicating a lack of focus on this crucial technology sector.
Product Development and Market Strategy.
OpenAI’s GPT-5 Flop, AI’s Unlimited Market, China’s Big Advantage, Rise in Socialism, Housing Crisis
Questions to inspire discussion.
📊 Q: How did GPT-5 perform compared to GPT-4? A: GPT-5 was narrowly ahead of GPT-4 in artificial analysis, but GPT-4 was significantly better in “humanity’s last exam” and RKGI2, which measures tasks relatively easy for humans but hard for AIs.
🌐 Q: What is the key architectural improvement in GPT-5? A: GPT-5 has a multimodal architecture that can self-select the underlying model for a task, providing a simple, clean interface without users needing to understand technical details.
AI industry growth and economic impact.
💰 Q: How much is being invested in the AI industry annually? A: The AI industry is experiencing astronomical growth, with hundreds of billions of dollars being deployed annually, and a projected trillion dollars in the next 5 years on data centers and AI infrastructure.
📈 Q: Are there already economic returns on AI investments? A: Economic returns on AI investments are already evident, with companies like Meta and Microsoft reporting significant revenue growth and productivity gains.
New 3D headset uses holograms and AI to create lifelike mixed reality visuals
Using 3D holograms polished by artificial intelligence, researchers introduce a lean, eyeglass-like 3D headset that they say is a significant step toward passing the “Visual Turing Test.”
“In the future, most virtual reality displays will be holographic,” said Gordon Wetzstein, a professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University, holding his lab’s latest project: a virtual reality display that is not much larger than a pair of regular eyeglasses. “Holography offers capabilities that we can’t get with any other type of display in a package that is much smaller than anything on the market today.”
Holography is a Nobel Prize-winning 3D display technique that uses both the intensity of light reflecting from an object, as with a traditional photograph, and the phase of the light (the way the waves synchronize), to produce a hologram, a highly realistic three-dimensional image of the original object.
Next-gen rod LEDs could transform smartphones and TVs with ultra-bright and color-rich displays
Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) School of Engineering have cracked a major challenge in display technology by inventing the world’s brightest and most energy efficient quantum rod LEDs (QRLEDs). These next-generation QRLEDs feature optimized deep green emission at the top of the color triangle, enabling displays with unprecedented color purity and a maximized color gamut.
Boasting a longer lifespan and triple the brightness of previous models, these cutting-edge light sources deliver energy-efficient, ultra-vivid visuals for smartphones, televisions, and AR/VR devices while further enhancing color performance.
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been widely used in electronic products for decades. Recent advancements in quantum materials have given rise to quantum dot LEDs (QLEDs) and QRLEDs. Both offer narrow emission bandwidths and high color purity, surpassing traditional LEDs. Among these, QRLEDs excel with higher light outcoupling efficiency.