Vuzix teams up with Shanghai-based Jade Bird Display to develop microLED display engines and waveguide products

Vuzix Corporation (NASDAQ:VUZI) is teaming up with Jade Bird Display, a Shanghai-based leader in microLED displays. 

Under a joint-manufacturing and supply agreement, both companies will collaborate on the co-development and cross-supply of solutions incorporating superbright microLED display engines and Vuzix waveguide products.  

Jade Bird Display will provide microLED displays and Vuzix will provide newly developed proprietary waveguides and display engine optics to work with these displays. 

READ: Vuzix delivers customized head-worn AR Display Engine for major US defense contractor

The complete solutions and components will be sold by both Vuzix and JBD to their customers, and both parties have agreed to supply to each other on a priority allocation basis, subject to limitations to ensure Vuzix is able to satisfy its own branded-product requirements. 

Vuzix said that both monochrome and RGB microLED display solutions are actively being developed for the company’s use in its next-generation smart glass (NGSG) products and for JBD customers. 

These solutions are expected to be the world’s smallest microLED display engines when commercially released and will utilize Vuzix’s latest “monolithic” single layer waveguides, with both glass and plastic options expected to be available.

For these next-generation products, the entire microLED engine (monochrome and RGB), consisting of a microLED panel, backplane and coupling projector for pairing with a waveguide, is measuring together as small as the cubic size of a pencil eraser. 

Vuzix, based in Rochester, New York, said that should allow next-generation AR Smart Glasses to have a virtually indistinguishable look and feel from normal eyeglasses. These solutions are being developed for Smart Glasses as well as for sighting systems, simple viewfinders, and just about any near-eye device that needs a low power and high-resolution display.

“We are very pleased to collaborate and have this joint-supply relationship with Vuzix, who is a longtime leader in optics, display technology and augmented reality products that are a perfect fit to operate with JBD’s unique microLED technology,” said Dr Qiming Li, CEO of Jade Bird Display. 

Vuzix CEO Paul Travers added: “We are very excited about our collaboration with Jade Bird Display, who has demonstrated leading highly efficient microLED technology and production capabilities in microLED displays. This relationship with Jade Bird advances Vuzix’s products and serves to further our leadership position in the supply of next-generation waveguides and display engine technologies and also supports and helps to grow JBD’s markets with fully functional solutions that each of us can sell. “We look forward to showing these solutions to the world and seeing them in action come the second half of 2021.”

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Story by ProactiveInvestors