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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Lumus’ ZOE prototype pushes previous a 70-degree area of view and seems like a wraparound show.
- The up to date Z-30 prioritizes on a regular basis readability.
- Z-30 2.0 targets thinner, lighter waveguides to assist slimmer frames that look extra regular.
Lumus grabbed consideration at CES 2026, showcasing its waveguide breakthroughs that push area of view and thinness additional than I’ve seen earlier than in a wise glasses kind issue. I spent hands-on time with every of their massive bulletins, together with a fragile prototype held collectively by tape on the edges.
The corporate is constructing straight on its main success supplying its waveguide expertise to Meta Ray-Ban Show glasses, and proving that geometric waveguides work at client scale with customary glass. At CES, Lumus showcased a ZOE prototype with greater than 70 levels of area of view, an optimized Z-30 with 40% extra brightness, and a Z-30 2.0 preview that is 40% thinner. David Goldman, VP of promoting, walked me by way of every demo with clear enthusiasm in regards to the progress Lumus is making.
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Meta Ray-Ban Show makes use of Lumus 20-degree waveguide lenses delivering 5,000 nits brightness to compete with vivid daylight, serving to to validate client urge for food and expectations for AR glasses. “The suggestions on the show aspect has been unbelievable,” he mentioned. As evidenced by my time on the present ground, the success of the shows inside Meta’s glasses helps drive different corporations to chase comparable kind elements and options.
Z-30 impressions
We began the demos with the optimized Z-30, an 11-gram optical engine that hits 8,000 nits per watt effectivity. Take a look at patterns blanketed the 30-degree area of view with sharp textual content towards white backgrounds. I might learn dense 8.5-point fonts from Alice in Wonderland simply and noticed no distortions or coloration shifting. A Muppets demo floated transparently with vivid colours that basically popped, and Goldman confirmed his personal expertise with clear eye visibility by way of the lens whereas watching Avatar in 3D.
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The one-by-one facet ratio made photographs really feel considerably bigger regardless of a modest improve in area of view in comparison with Meta’s 20 levels. The Z-30 2.0 preview has 40% thinner glass and 30% lighter weight, doubtlessly decreasing manufacturing steps whereas rising yield from uncooked supplies. This tech targets all-day notification, navigation, and translation use circumstances, the place light-weight consolation issues most. I used to be impressed by how vibrant and clear these lenses seemed whereas additionally being extremely skinny and light-weight.
ZOE breakthrough tech
The star of the present was the 70-degree ZOE prototype. The truth is, Goldman handed the only surviving unit to me with excessive care, as the corporate had already misplaced two. “That is the earliest prototype that we’re exhibiting publicly of 70 levels,” he defined. A cyberpunk airship instantly created wraparound immersion, filling my imaginative and prescient. I used to be bowled over by how a lot of my view was lined with such a easy and customary eyeglasses kind issue.
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The take a look at patterns delivered sharp readability and vivid colours at 1080p decision, showing to me to be even crisper than the Z-30 regardless of decrease brightness. The prototype makes use of fundamental glass and optics, proving {that a} vast area of view can work with out unique supplies that may drive up prices. ZOE targets immersive spatial leisure, multi-app productiveness, gaming, and even protection purposes the place troopers want most situational consciousness.
I might simply see myself utilizing this prototype to calm down and watch a 3D film. Although the show is see-through, I used to be struck by simply how a lot of the world I did not see by way of the on-display content material. At first, I used to be involved about issues of safety which may come up when shows occupy this a lot house in the actual world. Nevertheless, upon additional thought, I started to see the advantages of that vast protection, notably as programs develop into extra able to embedding imagery into and round real-world objects. Not each pixel must be lit up always, and a wider area of view like this implies a broader canvas on which AR parts can function.
I requested Goldman about prescription lenses, since 70% of individuals want imaginative and prescient correction. Lumus waveguides can bond prescription lenses on to the glass, skipping the air gaps that allow mud and moisture sneak into competing designs. Its mirror-based strategy retains gentle touring straight, which holds onto true colours and saves battery in comparison with diffractive rivals. AR coatings drop ahead leakage to nearly zero, so bystanders are unlikely to see glowing rainbows that give away what’s being proven contained in the glasses.
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Lumus now covers the whole lot from 20-degree glances to its early work with 70-degree immersion, which means producers can choose tech that matches every use case and kind issue. A few of these demos felt endearingly fragile, however the optics carried out superbly, leaving me genuinely enthusiastic about how succesful efficiency in normal-looking AR glasses will proceed to be.
