On the 20th of last month, in the small British town of Milton Keynes, located between London and Birmingham, is the headquarters of the startup Envisics, which develops hologram technology for use in automotive head-up displays (HUDs), which provide information without obstructing the driver's view.
Established 15 years ago, Envisics may be relatively young, but it is a small and innovative company collaborating with major global automakers like Jaguar Land Rover, Hyundai Motor Group, and General Motors (GM). Founded by CEO Jamieson Christmas, who was pursuing a Ph.D. at Cambridge University, Envisics first equipped its hologram HUD in Jaguar Land Rover vehicles in February 2015, and has since installed its products in more than 150,000 vehicles.
Seated in a showcase demo equipped with Envisics' hologram augmented reality HUD under the guidance of CEO Christmas at the Envisics headquarters in the UK, I noticed a vivid red eye symbol emerge between parked cars as I passed through a narrow side street.
As I watched this symbol and gradually proceeded forward, a pedestrian hidden by a parked car appeared. When I needed to exit to the right tollgate on a three-lane highway, a three-dimensional blue arrow appeared on the road I needed to move onto, while a building that had been obscured became identified as a renowned historical site in the area. CEO Christmas explained that whether it's day or night, strong sunlight or rain, the hologram does not distort or obstruct the line of sight.
He noted, "Our goal is to redefine how people perceive and interact with the world," adding that "the hologram HUD overlays the necessary information onto reality to enhance driving safety and facilitate decision-making based on various information for the driver."
◇ Reduced product size and improved image quality for HUD
Since raising $50 million (approximately 71 billion won) in a Series C funding round last year that included Hyundai Mobis, Envisics has been valued at $500 million. Hyundai Mobis also invested $25 million in Envisics in 2020, and in addition to the parent company of Jaguar Land Rover, Stellantis, venture capital firm InMotion Ventures participated in the Series C round.
Envisics' technology garners attention because it delivers much higher image quality in a smaller display compared to competitors' products. CEO Christmas stated, "We create hologram displays by combining much simpler and sturdier optical devices using proprietary algorithms. The characteristics of our products include larger magnification, superior image quality, and images displayed simultaneously at multiple distances."
Existing technologies waste over 90% of the light as heat energy or other forms when projecting images, whereas Envisics' holographic designs equipped with high magnification accurately redistribute light where needed to produce sharper images. This also helps reduce power consumption. Notably, the smaller-sized products have received positive evaluations from client automakers. The HUD installed in cars needs to be compact and lightweight as it must share interior space with air conditioning and other infotainment devices.
Envisics adapts its products flexibly according to the requirements of automakers. Some companies want thin and wide images, while others prefer square images. CEO Christmas remarked, "Our challenge is to apply the technology to meet the diverse demands of each manufacturer," adding that "a team of engineers and scientists is working to find tailored solutions."
◇ The potential applications of holograms extend far beyond automotive
The greatest inspiration for Envisics' emergence came from the classic movie Star Wars. In the film, Princess Leia uses a beam from the robot R2D2 to deliver a holographic message. The dynamic hologram depicted in the movie inspired many scientists, with CEO Christmas being one of them.
The 1970s, when CEO Christmas grew up, was a time when science fiction films first employed special effects. Watching Star Wars as a child captivated him with advanced technology, and he thought, "I want to realize such technology someday" while viewing scenes of communication through holograms. He subsequently built a career in science, electronic engineering, computer science, and physics. During his Ph.D. studies at Cambridge, he conducted research aimed at realizing display technologies seen in science fiction movies, which laid the foundation for hologram platform technology.
Based on this, CEO Christmas founded Two Trees Photonics. Later, in 2015, Two Trees Photonics was acquired by the American augmented reality wearable company DAQRI, and in 2017, the hologram and automotive engineering team separated from DAQRI to establish the independent corporation Envisics in January 2018.
Envisics welcomed Jaguar Land Rover as its first customer. The HUD unveiled that day features the second-generation technology, which will be equipped in GM's luxury electric vehicle Lyriq. Envisics is currently developing third and fourth-generation technologies. The third-generation technology will be showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world's largest IT and electronics exhibition, held in the U.S. in January next year. CEO Christmas assured, "The next-generation products have completely new technologies. I can guarantee that the changes this technology will bring are incredibly significant."
Envisics' holograms are primarily used in automobiles, but they can also be applied in other fields. CEO Christmas stated, "It’s not the right time to discuss it yet," adding that "We are establishing collaborative relationships with other sectors in addition to automotive and are preparing to make announcements." The business, which is focused in Europe and North America, plans to expand into Asia. CEO Christmas noted, "Working with Hyundai Mobis, an important strategic investor and partner, is a great fortune."
As demand rapidly increases, competition is also intensifying. Besides the global parts supplier Continental, Hyundai Mobis, which has invested in Envisics, is also producing HUDs directly. CEO Christmas stated, "In terms of HUD production capacity, all related companies are competitors, but in terms of technology, we are independent from them," adding that "competition allows us to refine our technology more precisely, and we will reach the end game sooner."