MicroVision Ships First Development Kits of Its Interactive Display Engine

REDMOND, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 2, 2017-- MicroVision, Inc. (NASDAQ: MVIS), a leader in innovative ultra-miniature projection display and sensing technology, today announced that it shipped development kits of its new interactive display engine on-schedule to select customers. The development kit includes a sample of the interactive display engine and a software development kit.

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MicroVision's PSE-0403sti Interactive Display Engine has a short throw ratio producing images with nearly 2 times the diagonal width of the height of the device. (Photo: Business Wire)

The interactive display engine, model PSE-0403sti, is one of three engines MicroVision has announced it is developing based on the company’s proprietary PicoP® scanning technology, a laser beam scanning (LBS) approach for pico projection and 3D sensing. The PSE-0403sti merges projected display and time-of-flight (TOF) sensing into a single, integrated scanning engine that produces high definition projected images that enable an interactive user experience that mimics the familiar touch interface of a smartphone or tablet. In addition to projecting onto a tabletop surface, the PSE-0403sti also has the capability to project larger images onto a wall or even a ceiling while continuing operating as a 3D TOF scanner.

The PSE-0403sti interactive display engine is an all-in-one unit combining an integrated photonics module (IPM) containing MEMS and lasers, a short throw optic , two photodiodes, and an electronics platform module (EPM) containing MicroVision’s proprietary ASICS and system control software. The short throw optic enables creation of an image that has a diagonal width that is nearly two times the height of the device that houses PSE-0403sti. The engine truly operates in three dimensions with the infinite focus of the projected display and the 3D depth sensing of the TOF sensor. When a user is interacting with the projected image, it will function on non-flat surfaces, and it will operate without interruption when objects or obstructions are introduced into the sensing plane.

The key interactive display engine differentiation points include:

• Multi-function in one package: 3D TOF sensing and projection functions combined in a single, integrated engine.
• Multiple 3D sensing modes: 3D point cloud generation that can be converted to touch events and/or gestures to suit the application.
• Multi-surface operation: both projected display and 3D TOF sensor can operate directed at a tabletop, wall, or ceiling without additional calibration or focus adjustment.
• Ease of Use: works on any surface: flat, curved, wet, dry, and more; foreign objects entering the field of view won’t interrupt the operation of the system.

To enable touch and gesture applications, MicroVision’s PSE-0403sti interactive display engine collects and outputs 3D point cloud data. Conversion of the 3D point cloud data into specific touch events and/or gesture recognition would be programmed by OEMs and ODMs for their specific products. The development kits MicroVision has shipped will allow the select customers to begin exploring the touch and gesture programming and the industrial design of their potential products.

In addition to the PSE-0403sti interactive display engine, MicroVision plans to offer two other scanning engines: a small form factor display engine and a sensing engine for mid-range LiDAR. The small form factor display engine is available now, and the company is currently shipping units to a customer in China for its smartphone product. The company expects to begin shipping samples of the mid-range LiDAR engine in the first half of 2018 with production readiness planned for later in 2018. MicroVision expects to be ready for customer shipment of production units of the PSE-0403sti interactive display engine by the end of 2017.