Lemoptix bought by Intel Corporation
© 2014 Lemoptix
EPFL spin-off Lemoptix SA has just been acquired by Intel, the US microprocessor giant. The value of the acquisition has not been made public. Lemoptix has developed a miniature projection system used in many applications, including virtual-reality glasses.
Lemoptix, a 40-employee company, has just been acquired by Intel Corporation for an undisclosed sum. Seeking to expand its mobile technologies department, Intel will integrate Lemoptix into its “New Devices” division. Along with the purchase of Composyt Light Lab in January 2015, the US company now can boast two EPFL spin-offs in its portfolio, both of which will remain active at the Innovation Park.
Founded in 2008 by Nicolas Abelé and Marco Boella, Lemoptix is known for developing a laser projector the size of a sugar grain. The device, which can project color images onto any type of surface, works using a tiny mirror, less than a millimeter in diameter, that can reflect red, green, and blue laser lights. The device oscillates along the horizontal and vertical axis, and sweeps laser beams 20,000 times per second, recreating the image pixel-by-pixel. At almost 100 million pulses each second, the device’s frequency is high enough to produce an image that appears uniform and stable to the human eye.
The device can be incorporated into a range of applications, such as augmented reality glasses, mobile phones, 3D scanners, and heads-up displays in cars. Lemoptix already provides components to a number of companies, including the Japanese firm Hamamatsu, and has already been working with Composyt Light Lab on virtual- reality glasses since well before its acquisition by Intel.