No-notch iPhones, FaceID on Android, biometrics everywhere
Mar 30, 2024
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Metalenz CEO Rob Devlin discusses the revolutionary meta surfaces product that can eliminate iPhone notches and bring secure Face ID to Android at a lower cost. The technology enables decoding surface information from reflected light, advancing biometrics, phones, medical devices, and robots. Partnership with ST Microelectronics integrates metasurface optics in over 150 smartphone models, enhancing optical systems efficiency and reducing size and cost.
Metalenz's meta-surfaces technology can revolutionize optics, enabling smaller, cheaper, and more efficient optical systems in smartphones and beyond.
Polar ID by Metalenz offers cost-effective and secure biometric authentication through capturing polarization information, transforming facial recognition on Android devices.
Deep dives
Revolutionizing Camera Lens Production
Metalens has innovated a breakthrough technology that replaces traditional curved lenses with flat meta-surfaces. By utilizing a single flat surface, they can substitute five to six conventional lenses in a camera system. This advancement not only reduces the size and complexity of cameras but also allows for cost-effective mass production in semiconductor foundries. The ability to print thousands of lenses on a single wafer has transformed this academic research into high-volume smartphone components efficiently.
Enhanced Biometric Sensor Technology
Metalens is introducing Polar ID, a revolutionary product developed in collaboration with Samsung for secure biometric authentication on smartphones. By leveraging polarization information captured by the meta-surface optics, Polar ID offers a cost-effective and secure facial recognition solution compatible with Android devices. This innovation enables secure face unlock features, maintaining both security and convenience while significantly reducing the size and cost of traditional biometric modules.
Diverse Applications of Polarization Technology
Beyond smartphone biometrics, Metalens' polarization technology holds immense potential in diverse applications, including skin health diagnostics, robotics, machine vision, and astronomy. The polarization information provides valuable insights into material composition and shape recognition, enhancing decision-making processes in various fields. By making this technology accessible and affordable, Metalens opens the door to new innovations and possibilities, fostering advancements in multiple industries.
If you have an iPhone, you've got a notch. Now there's tech that can get rid of that notch ... and the same tech can bring secure Face ID to Android: at a fraction of the cost.
In this TechFirst, I chat with Metalenz CEO Rob Devlin about his meta surfaces product. Not only can they produce about 10,000 lenses on a single 30-centimeter wafer, just like computer chips, they can now decode polarization information on surfaces from the light reflecting off of that.
That gives them data on what that surface is made from, and that is a huge advancement for biometrics, phones, medical devices, and robots.
The technology, which can capture and process unique wavelengths and polarization information, enables the creation of smaller, cheaper, and more efficient optical systems. Metalenz's partnership with ST Microelectronics has led to the integration of metasurface optics in products that have been previously sold in over 150 different smartphone models.
00:00 Revolutionizing Optics with Metal Lens Technology
00:30 The Journey of Metalenz: From Concept to Market
01:34 Exploring the Impact of Meta Surface Technology
02:39 Understanding Metasurfaces and Their Potential
10:48 Introducing Polar ID: A Game-Changer for Biometric Security
22:20 The Future of Polarization Technology and Its Applications
22:33 Collaboration with Samsung and the Path Forward
27:14 Envisioning New Horizons: Beyond Polar ID
32:36 Wrapping Up: The Future of Metal Lens and Polar ID
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