Light Blue Optics (LBO) announced that it has raised $13 million in funding, enabling it to continue building out market opportunities for its Gen 1 products – Light Touch and Light Work – and accelerating its Gen 2 product development roadmap for embedded interactive projection devices. The funding follows LBO’s previous Series ‘A’ extension of $15 million in July 2009. Light Touch’s virtual touchscreen brings a consumer electronics experience to new environments, including restaurants, bars and hotels. (Photos: Business Wire) The round was led by DFJ Esprit, and existing investors Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH, Earlybird Venture Capital, Capital-E and NESTA also participated. They were joined by new investors Christie Digital Systems Canada Inc. and WhiteGold Fund Management. As its first reference product, Light Touch was released at the Consumer Electronics Show in January. It is an interactive projector that instantly transforms any flat surface into a 10-in. touch screen, allowing users to interact with multimedia content in new, exciting ways. The media brings a consumer electronics experience to new environments, enabling dynamic applications including multimedia ordering systems for restaurants, bars and hotes; wipe-clean, pathogen-resistant interactive displays for healthcare environments; and spill-proof virtual touchscreens in the kitchen. Light Blue Optics’ first product, Light Touch, transforms any flat surface into an instant touchscreen. It features the company’s proprietary holographic laser projection technology inside to create bright, high-quality WVGA resolution video images that are always in focus, said the company. In addition, it has its own media processor and operating system. Onboard wireless networking enables it to connect directly to the internet or electronic point of sale system, making it suitable for social networking, location-based services and electronic ordering. “This $13 million financing round will enable us to continue to capitalize on the enormous customer interest in our first products Light Touch and Light Works whilst also driving ahead with our Gen 2 development program for embedded products that deliver three times the brightness of a typical tablet screen using only half the power,” said Dr. Chris Harris, CEO of LBO. “These products have the potential to fundamentally change the way we see and interact with the world, bringing virtual touchscreens to every and any surface.” Privately-funded Light Blue Optics develops and supplies miniature projection systems for use in high volume applications in the automotive, digital signage and consumer electronics markets. For more information, visit: www.lightblueoptics.com