Photonics News: Week in Brief: 07/16/21

AUSTIN, Texas — Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, with industry collaborators Samsung, NVIDIA, AT&T, Qualcomm, and InterDigital, will launch a 6G research center called 6G@UT on the school’s campus. The center aims to lay the groundwork for the next generation of wireless technology. Founding 6G@UT affiliates Samsung, AT&T, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and InterDigital will each fund at least two projects for three years at the center, and will work alongside UT faculty and students. Research will be focused on the development wireless-specific machine learning algorithms, advanced sensing technologies, and core networking innovations.

GHENT, Belgium — Azalea Vision, a joint spinoff from imec and Ghent University that develops smart solutions for people with vision disorders, closed its €8 million ($9.4 million) Series A funding round. The company is developing a smart contact lens, which integrates an active light management system that dynamically adjusts the brightness of incoming light according to a patient’s needs, while also correcting vision. Azalea Vision has also secured a €1.8 million ($2.1 million) grant from Flanders Innovation and Entrepreneurship (VLAIO).

BEDFORD, Mass. — Novanta acquired Schneider Electric Motion USA (SEM), a manufacturer of motion control components for automation equipment, for $115 million. SEM has approximately 60 employees and is headquartered in Marlborough, Conn. The acquisition is intended to aid Novanta’s foray into automation and robotic applications through advanced motion control systems. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021 and will be financed with cash on hand.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Optical and infrared components manufacturer LightPath Technologies will partner with RP Optical Lab of Israel to develop thermal imaging cameras with optics based on LightPath’s proprietary BD6 material for space applications. The project will further develop the BD6 infrared optical material to comply with radiation requirements for space applications. The project will be supported by the University of Central Florida’s Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) and funded by the Space Florida organization and Israel’s Innovation Authority.

YSPILANTI, Mich. — Aeye completed a performance test of a long-wavelength lidar platform for autonomous vehicles. Results of the test, verified by active safety and automated vehicle technology researcher VSI Labs, showed that the system was effective up to 1000 m in the rain and behind windshield glass. The system uses a bistatic architecture, which separates the transmit and receive paths, and 1550 nm lasers. The test was performed at the American Center for Mobility test track using a VSI research vehicle.