The news of KONICA MINOLTA SENSING EUROPE B.V.

Testing and evaluation of complex image display for AR smart contact lenses
  December 12, 2024, Dubai, UAE — XPANCEO, a deep-tech company developing the next generation of computing via smart contact lenses, and Konica Minolta Sensing Europe, a global leader in imaging and optical solutions, have developed the world’s first system for testing augmented reality (AR) smart contact lenses. This bridges critical gaps in the testing and evaluation of complex image display devices — which stifles rapid innovation and adoption — and sets a new industry standard for XR wearables.   As wearable display devices become smaller and seamlessly integrated into everyday life, the XR market is projected to grow to an impressive $1,913.7 billion by 2032. Yet, despite this growth, the industry faces significant challenges in ensuring both usability and performance. The absence of comprehensive testing systems has hindered innovation, especially in advanced technologies such as AR smart contact lenses and smart glasses.   “Historically, AR display testing systems have primarily focused on devices such as glasses and near-eye displays. Smart contact lenses, however, present a unique scenario—they eliminate concerns like eyebox or eye relief, as the lens sits directly on the eye. Our approach stands out because it is tailored specifically to the unique requirements of smart contact lenses, addressing parameters critical to their functionality. As the first company nearing the commercialization of AR contact lenses, we are pioneering a testing methodology designed to provide unmatched relevance for this groundbreaking technology, ensuring it is applicable to any smart contact lens that enters the market in the future.” says Dr. Valentyn Volkov, co-founder of XPANCEO and who is recognized among the top 2% of scientists worldwide with an h-index of 42.   Capable of evaluating a comprehensive spectrum of performance parameters critical for AR smart contact lenses, the XPANCEO-Konika Minolta system is the first of its kind, incorporating cutting-edge optics specifically engineered for measuring NEDs, such as those used in virtual, mixed, and augmented reality headsets. The system’s innovative lens geometry simulates the size, position, and binocular field of view of the human eye.   Unlike traditional optical testing, where the aperture is located inside the lens, the AR/VR lens design positions the aperture on the front of the lens. This enables the connected imaging system to replicate the exact location of the human eye in AR/VR devices and capture the entire field of view available to the user. This unique feature ensures unparalleled precision in evaluating how AR visuals are experienced in real-world scenarios.   “In AR/VR product development, precise optical measurements are essential. XPANCEO's immersive AR smart lenses, combined with Konica Minolta's complete optical solution, utilize custom lenses with an external aperture to replicate human vision for objective brightness and color measurements. With high-resolution cameras and powerful software like TrueTest, this setup ensures thorough optical analysis, accurate calibration, and seamless integration of virtual elements with the real world—delivering a strain-free and immersive user experience.” says Dr. Kedar Sathaye, Product Manager Light & Display at Konica Minolta Sensing Europe B.V.   Key parameters measured by the system include:  

• Field of View: The XR smart contact lens is designed to allow users to see images from any angle, requiring precise measurements to ensure the gradual improvement of this parameter.
• Brightness of Virtual Images: While traditional light bulbs can be easily quantified, virtual images present a subjective experience that necessitates an objective testing system. This is particularly important given the strict medical guidelines on image brightness, which were established to prevent harm to the human eye.
• Contrast: This measures how distinctly an image stands out from the background, crucial for comfortable and safe viewing. It should remain stable regardless of the surrounding environment's brightness.
• Adaptation to Weather Conditions: The brightness of virtual images needs to adjust to different weather conditions — similar to how phone screens adapt — without causing excessive brightness that could blind the user if they look directly at the sun.
• Gradient of Intensity Across the Field: Virtual images exhibit varying brightness due to optical reasons, particularly at the edges. Accurate measurement of this parameter is essential to correct the image when recorded for projection.
• Line Sharpness: This parameter ensures that thin lines and details in the image are clear and easily visible to the user.

  The launch of this testing system represents a paradigm shift for the XR industry, enabling a new level of precision in wearable technology. For XPANCEO, it provides the tools needed to refine and perfect AR smart lenses, addressing both technical and user experience challenges. For the broader XR market, it creates a roadmap for ensuring safety and reliability in increasingly complex screen-based devices.   As AR wearables evolve, this pioneering system underscores XPANCEO’s and Konica Minolta’s shared vision of pushing boundaries to create smarter, safer, and more effective technologies. With AR smart lenses on the horizon, this innovation is set to redefine how we interact with augmented reality, marking the beginning of a new chapter for wearable displays.


About Konica Minolta Sensing Europe B.V   Konica Minolta Sensing Europe B.V., part of the Industrial Business division of Konica Minolta, Inc. Japan, is a leading provider of measurement solutions for applications in the fields of Colour & Appearance and Light Measurement. Throughout the EMEA region, Konica Minolta Sensing Europe B.V. serves the industry in more than 30 countries with Branch offices and qualified Distributors.   Derived from our state-of-the-art optical and image processing technologies, measuring solutions from Konica Minolta Sensing help improve quality control and support R&D in a diverse range of industries.   Our light & display management solutions are essential for Quality Assurance in industries such as Automotive, AR/VR, Consumer Electronics, and Medical Displays.   Konica Minolta Sensing Europe B.V. Marconibaan 57 NL-3439 MR Nieuwegein, The Netherlands Tel: +31(0)30 248-1191 Fax: +31(0)30 248-1280 Info.Sensing@seu.konicaminolta.eu Konica Minolta Sensing Europe   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ About XPANCEO   Founded in 2021, XPANCEO is developing the next generation of computing via an invisible and weightless smart contact lens.    The XPANCEO team brings together extraordinary visionaries, world-class scientists, engineers, and accomplished executive leaders to disrupt the conventional reign of silicon and propel humanity toward the next generation of computing.   Their lens reinvents the whole concept of human-technology interaction and redefines the way we experience both real and digital worlds. Merging all your gadgets into one, the lens transforms the everyday into an infinite eXtended Reality experience.   XPANCEO UAE, Dubai, Internet City, Emmay Tower, Floor G, Showroom 1&2 hello@xpanceo.com https://xpanceo.com/

Konica Minolta will be at the European Coatings Show – the world-leading exhibition for paint and coatings – at Nuremberg from 28 - 30 March 2023.
 
Konica Minolta’s experience in optical metrology helps our customers to optimize colour production processes with accurate and traceable data, boosting production efficiency, and reducing environmental impact throughout the entire supply chains.
Our trusted solutions for quality control and digital colour data help our customers to specify, communicate, formulate, produce, and approve accurate and consistent colour. Our solution delivers benchmark accuracy, industry first features, reliability, and a focus on real world usability. Recent innovations include:
 
- The world first benchtop spectrophotometer with built-in 60-degree gloss sensor;
- Wavelength Analysis and Adjustment technology for daily validation and industry leading, year-round accuracy;
- The CM-CT1 device administration software.
 
Our colour measurement systems can ensure the production of high-quality pigments, additives, adhesives, or raw materials that exceed customer expectations.
 
Visit us! Hall 4 / Stand 362

Rhopoint Instruments Ltd. announces that Volkswagen AG has introduced a new assessment measurement technique for the surfaces of painted car bodies. The Rhopoint TAMS™ (Total Appearance Measurement System) technology was developed as part of an innovation project and is now about to be introduced into series production.

The Rhopoint TAMS™ technology is the result of a six-year joint development project between Rhopoint Instruments Ltd., Audi AG and Volkswagen AG and offers the car manufacturer improved parameters for controlling the appearance quality of painted car bodies and painted vehicle parts.
As a result of the successful test phase in the production lines, Rhopoint TAMS™ is a newly specified technology of Volkswagen AG and has been included in the technical delivery conditions and quality test specifications.

Rhopoint TAMS™ measures what you see
With the current methodology for measuring and controlling the appearance of painted surfaces, the biggest challenge is to correlate the measured results with the visual assessment of the quality inspectors or, in other words, "what you measure is not always what you see". Rhopoint Instruments Ltd. and the specialist departments of Audi AG and Volkswagen AG have jointly developed a new methodology and technology to meet this challenge. The result is the Rhopoint TAMS™, a device that uses the technology of image projection and image analysis to imitate visual perception. Stripe images projected onto a surface are captured with a dual-focus camera, while established optical analysis techniques (e.g. optical transfer functions) are used to calculate indices that describe surface properties in the same way as the human eye.

The result is a much higher agreement with visual perception, which is essential for quality control in production. The Rhopoint TAMS™ "Quality" (Q) value allows pass/fail decisions to be applied based on this final manufacturing criterion, while the "Harmony" (H) value ensures that adjacent body parts can be perceived as optically equivalent or the possible differences can be shown. In this way the subjective perception of each individual observer is excluded and objectified. In the case of a qualitative deviation, the presentation methodology of the results allows quick reaction and intervention.

Control Electro Dip Paint / E-Coat (KTL)
With today's existing methods, quality control of matt e-coats in the production line was only possible through time and cost intensive analyses.

Due to the applied optical concept and methods Rhopoint TAMS™ is able to measure all kinds of surfaces from high gloss to matt. With Rhopoint TAMS™ the user can now also measure the quality of e-coats in the production line. This is all the more important as the e-coat quality has a direct influence on the perceived and measured quality of the clear coat and thus on the final painted appearance.

The overall picture
The painted appearance of the car body surface depends to a large extent on the underlying waviness and roughness of the steel, aluminum or plastic molded parts before painting.

Rhopoint TAMS™ can be used to measure and map surfaces at any intermediate stage of an automobile production.

E-coat, filler, basecoat and topcoat before and after any polishing operations can be characterized to obtain a detailed picture of the entire coating process. This unique data set offers the car manufacturer new possibilities to assess the suitability of raw materials or to optimize individual process elements - this saves costs and improves quality.

Rhopoint TAMS™ is available as a portable handheld device or as an implemented automated system. RoboTAMS has been optimized for rapid automatic evaluation of vehicle paint quality and has already been tested for concept suitability.

In addition, error detection and error characterization are further options that can be displayed with the developed measurement technology.

(Rhopoint TAMS™ is distributed worldwide by Konica Minolta Sensing)

Contacts:

Rhopoint Instruments Ltd. Tony Burrows
Tony.Burrows(at)rhopointinstruments.com

Volkswagen AG Lackierereiplanung Wolfsburg Dirk Weißberg
Dirk.Weissberg(at)volkswagen.de

Konica Minolta Sensing Europe B.V. Andreas Ullrich
Andreas.Ullrich(at)seu.konicaminolta.eu