Envisics and Panasonic Collaborate to Develop Next-Generation Head-Up Displays

According to foreign media reports, Envisics, a British holographic technology startup, recently announced a cooperation agreement with Tier 1 supplier Panasonic Automotive Systems to jointly develop a new generation of head-up displays (HUDs) for cars, trucks and SUVs and promote the commercialization of these products. HUDs are integrated into the car dashboard, projecting images onto the windshield to help the driver navigate and provide other alerts. In this cooperation, Panasonic's HUD will use Envisics' holographic technology.

(Image source: Envisics)

Previously, Envisics received $50 million in Series B funding, and there were reports that its technology would be integrated into the Cadillac Lyriq electric vehicle. In this round of financing, Envisics was valued at more than $250 million, with investors including Hyundai Mobis, GM Ventures, and SAIC Ventures.

Envisics technology electronically controls the speed of light, a process that makes images appear 3D, explains Jamieson Christmas, Envisics founder and CEO. The company has been granted more than 250 patents and has another 160 pending.

Christmas said the company is currently focusing on holographic technology in the automotive field, and its first generation of holographic technology has been integrated into more than 150,000 Jaguar Land Rover vehicles. The new agreement aims to combine Panasonic's expertise in optical design and global influence as a Tier 1 supplier with Envisics' technology to bring holographic technology to the mainstream market. Both parties said that cars using this technology will begin mass production in 2023.

Christmas said that Envisics aims to use holographic technology to develop high-resolution, wide color gamut and large-view HUD that can overlay reality. The technology can also project information at different distances simultaneously. Christmas also said, "In the short term, HUD is a relatively simple augmented reality application, such as navigation, highlighting the correct lane, and some safety applications. In areas such as autonomous driving, HUD can support functions such as entertainment and video conferencing. In addition, the technology can also be used for night vision applications, such as projecting enhanced information on dark roads to indicate the direction of the road and possible obstacles."