Lumus obtained a significant enhance in model recognition when certainly one of its waveguides was chosen to be used in the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses. However that already appears like previous tech now as a result of at CES 2026, the firm introduced a few of its newest parts to the present and based mostly on what I noticed, they appear poised to significantly elevate the optical high quality of the subsequent wave of high-end smartglasses.
When the Meta Ray-Ban Shows glasses got here out, they wowed customers as they have been (and nonetheless are) certainly one of a handful of smartglassess to function a full-color in-lens show with a minimum of a 20-degree discipline of view. However going by the specs on Lumus’ latest waveguides, we’re set for a significant improve when it comes to future capabilities.
Should you look intently, you possibly can see the place gentle from the waveguide propagates into the certainly one of the smartglasses’ lenses. (Sam Rutherford for Engadget)
The primary mannequin I attempted featured Lumus’ optimized Z-30 waveguides, which not solely supply a a lot wider 30-degree FOV, they are additionally 30 % lighter and 40 % thinner than earlier generations. On prime of that, Lumus says they are additionally extra energy environment friendly with the waveguides able to hitting greater than 8,000 nits per watt. This is an enormous deal as a result of smartglasses are at the moment fairly restricted by the dimension of batteries they’ll use, particularly if you need to make them small and light-weight sufficient to put on all day. After I tried them on, I used to be dazzled by each the brightness and sharpness I noticed from the Z-30s regardless of them being restricted to 720 x 720 decision. Not solely did the improve in FOV really feel a lot bigger than 10 levels, colours have been very wealthy, together with white, which is typically certainly one of the most troublesome shades to correctly reproduce.
I had to take a photograph of certainly one of Lumus’ non-functioning smartglasses with the firm’s 70-degree FOV waveguide, as a result of two out of three of the working ones had already broke and the final one which I used was being held collectively by tape. (Sam Rutherford for Engadget)
Nevertheless, even after seeing how good that first mannequin was, I used to be completely not ready for Lumus’ 70-degree FOV waveguides. I used to be in a position to view some movies and a handful of take a look at photos and I used to be fully blown away with how a lot space they lined. It was principally the whole middle portion of the lens, with solely small unused areas round the corners. And whereas I did discover some pincushion distortion alongside the sides of the waveguide’s show, a Lumus consultant informed me that will probably be potential to right for that in remaining retail models. However make no mistake, these waveguides undoubtedly produced a few of the sharpest, brightest and best-looking optics I’ve seen from any smartglasses, from both retail fashions or prototypes or. It virtually made me query how a lot wider FOV these kind of devices really want, although to be clear, I don’t assume we’ve hit the level of diminishing returns but.
This is certainly one of Lumus’ thinnest waveguides measuring in at simply 0.8mm. (Sam Rutherford for Engadget)
Different benefits of Lumus’ geometric reflective waveguides embody higher general effectivity than their refractive counterparts together with the potential to optically bond the shows to smartglasses lenses. Meaning in contrast to plenty of rivals, Lumus’ waveguides will be paired with transitions lenses as a substitute of needing to resort to clip-on sunglass attachments if you go exterior. Lumus additionally claims its designs additionally simplifies the manufacturing course of, leading to thinner waveguides (as small as 0.8mm) and usually larger yields.
Sadly, taking high-quality images of content material from smartglasses shows is extremely difficult, particularly if you’re utilizing extraordinarily delicate prototypes, so that you’ll simply have to take my phrase for now. However with Lumus in the means of ramping up manufacturing of its new waveguides with assist from companions together with Quanta and SCHOTT, it appears like there can be a ton of smartglasses makers clamoring for these parts as momentum continues to construct round the industry’s pick for the next “big” thing.
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