Turning this mission into a reality requires solving complex optical issues. Swave, however, says it has the solution: Holographic eXtended Reality (HXR). The spin-off company offers holographic projectors (2 by 2 cm) for high-end holographic display applications as well as smaller versions (0.5 by 0.5 cm) for ultralight portable devices.

HXR is mainly destined for the projector and extended reality markets. The latter market includes big corporations focused on virtual and augmented reality such as Meta, Google and Microsoft. These companies can use Swave’s technology as part of the next generations of headsets, offering a viewing experience with very high resolution, depth of field and viewing angles of 180 to 360 degrees. However, the application fields are broader than just headsets. For example, walls incorporating holographic projectors and stand-alone 3D screens are possible too.

Within two years, potential customers can test the product. Mass production could then follow as soon as six to nine months later. Major tech companies from around the world are reportedly enthusiastic about the new development.

“HXR is a very innovative technology which we at imec have been developing for more than five years,” says Luc Van den hove, CEO of imec, the strategic research center from which Swave spun off. “What’s more, Swave has an extensive collection of patents, which helps explain the major interest from investors.”

“Swave answers some of the main AR and VR challenges, making the spin-off perfectly poised to serve the USD 93 billion metaverse market,” adds Peter Vanbekbergen, partner of imec.xpand, an independent venture capital firm that works closely with imec. Swave is, in fact, the first investment of the imec.xpand 2 fund, which is “well on its way to becoming one of Europe’s largest early-stage technology funds.”

Managed by the government of Flanders, the Flanders Future Technology Fund (FFTF) is also investing in the pioneering company. “Swave is part of a growing group of companies that put Flanders on the worldwide map within the deep tech industry by offering practical answers to complex problems. FFTF’s mission is to accelerate the international breakthrough of technologies developed by Flanders’ knowledge centers. That’s exactly what our region is doing with this investment in Swave.”