Epitone boasts technology that is lighter than existing products and has a wider field of view
"Our head-up display (HUD) technology significantly expands the field of view, allowing drivers to see 3D graphics anywhere on the road," Hong explained. "Epitone has been working in stealth mode with a major European automaker for two years, and Epitone is now on the brink of mass production."
Sunghoon Hong, CEO of Epitone, whom we met on the 14th, explained the results of collaboration with a global automobile manufacturer in just three years since founding the company.
Epitone is conducting business with the goal of developing a 3D augmented reality (AR) head-up display, implementing it into a finished car, and mass producing the product. The existing head-up display took up a lot of space due to its design using mirrors, but Epitone's strategy is to reduce the size by about 90%, expand the viewing angle, and use the entire windshield as an instrument panel.
Recognizing the potential of Epitone’s technology, Hyosung became a Series A investor, committing $20 million. This was followed by SoluM, a company with roots in Samsung Electro-Mechanics, which participated in the Series B funding round.
Hong, who holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Seoul National University, previously served as an vice president at Samsung Electronics. He led the development and expansion of AR glasses and smart car displays for major automakers like Audi, BMW, and Daimler. "Fortunately, many experts of the field have joined Epitone, bringing us to where we are today," Hong has commented.
As the automotive market grows, so does the sophistication of display technologies. The rise of smart cars is leading to the simplification and removal of traditional dashboards.
Market Research Future forecasts that the HUD market will grow from $2.64 billion in 2024 to $11.7 billion by 2032, with an annual growth rate of 20.66%. Hong highlighted Epitone’s unique position, stating, "Many major automakers have entered this HUD field, but none have achieved what we have. Our ultimate goal is to achieve a 50-degree field of view, starting currently with 20 degrees." He added, "In terms of technology, typical automaker HUD displays have a latency of 200 to 500 milliseconds, but we have optimized ours to 50 milliseconds."
Epitone aims to transition from a display supplier to an automotive AR platform provider for OEMs. "Our final objective is to transform from just a supplier into a platform provider, leveraging investments from major automakers," Hong emphasized.
The above article is an English translation of an article published in Korean.
The original article is as follows: https://zdnet.co.kr/view/?no=20240619154715
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