Leia (company)
Leia Inc. is a Menlo Park-based startup company developing display technology that uses nanostructures to diffract a backlight directionally into a light field and create "holographic" visual effects.[1]
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Type | Private |
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Industry | Display technology |
Founded | 2014 |
Founder | David Fattal, Pierre-Emmanuel Evreux, Zhen Peng |
Headquarters | Menlo Park, , United States |
Website | www |
Leia is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, with a nano-fabrication center in Palo Alto, a content team in Los Angeles and industrialization center in Suzhou, China.
History
The company was founded in 2014 as a spin-off from HP Labs. Its research into the holographic display concept under HP was published by Nature in 2013. CEO David Fattal explained that its diffraction system would address shortcomings with other mobile 3D display systems, such as being able to be seen by multiple viewers at once, using the display in its original 2D mode with no loss of resolution [1] and not requiring CPU-intensive eye tracking. The company foresaw uses of its technology in mobile devices, automobiles, and medical applications.[2][3][4]
In May 2016, Leia announced a partnership with Altice to market a smartphone featuring its technology.[5]
In 2017, Red Digital Cinema announced its intent to produce a high-end smartphone featuring the technology (the Red Hydrogen One). As part of its development, Red entered into a strategic partnership with Leia, including funding, and Red's founder Jim Jannard joining Leia's board of directors.[6][4]
In 2018, Leia launched its lightfield content platform LeiaLoft™ including an Android App Store and a developer portal.
The RED Hydrogen phone featuring Leia's first switchable lightfield display product was launched on November 2, 2018 in the United States via AT&T and Verizon [7] and in Mexico via Telcel.
In July 2019, Leia and Continental announced a long term partnership to bring lightfield displays and content to the automotive world.[8]
In 2020 Leia launched the Lume Pad, a B2B Android tablet featuring its latest switchable 10.8-in Lightfield display, designed to service the Education, Medical, Retail and Hospitality industries. The company is also selling a "Creators Edition" directly from www.lume-pad.com
References
- "Interview: LEIA Inc founder on RED phone's radical display". SlashGear. 2018-10-23. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
- "Leia aims to bring interactive Star Wars holographic displays to your phone". ExtremeTech. 2014-04-21. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
- Fattal, David; Peng, Zhen; Tran, Tho; Vo, Sonny; Fiorentino, Marco; Brug, Jim; Beausoleil, Raymond G. (March 2013). "A multi-directional backlight for a wide-angle, glasses-free three-dimensional display". Nature. 495 (7441): 348–351. Bibcode:2013Natur.495..348F. doi:10.1038/nature11972. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 23518562. S2CID 4424212.
- "RED reveals more about its holographic smartphone display". Engadget. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
- "Altice to bring holographic handsets to SFR customers". Digital TV Europe. 2016-05-24. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
- "RED finally reveals what its 'holographic' phone screen actually is". The Verge. Retrieved 2018-10-29.
- "Verizon to launch RED HYDROGEN One – the world's first holographic smartphone – on November 2". Verizon News. 2018-10-29. Retrieved 2019-02-04.
- "Continental and Leia´s new 3D Lightfield Display bring the third dimension into Automotive vehicles".