Kopin, a Massachusetts-based electronics manufacturer, best known for its display devices for mobile electronics, partnered with Endopodium, a company focused on developing advanced visualization technologies for medical and surgical procedures, to develop and market next gen head mounted displays (HMD) for advanced medical and surgical applications.
Read more FundamentalVR Tool Combines VR with Haptic Sensors to Make VR Surgery Feel Like Real Thing
The two companies expect to market the new product under a new company called HMD/MD.
“Our earlier work was limited by the size and performance level of the displays available. Now, with Kopin’s leading OLED technology, we can create wearable systems which are ergonomic, lightweight and high resolution to meet the critical demands of today’s medical and surgical applications,” said John Lyon, co-founder of Endopodium.
Under the terms of the agreement, Kopin will provide both intellectual property and OLED displays, as well as technical expertise in configuring state-of-the-art wearable systems for mission-critical applications. HMD/MD plans to establish strategic distribution partnerships with medical technology companies that wish to include high resolution wearable displays in their proprietary systems.
Endopodium founders John Lyon and Allen Newman, will seek to leverage their experience gained in working with leading physicians and surgeons utilizing the previous generation of surgical HMDs. These earlier displays provided invaluable insight into surgical performance with true 3D visualization and concurrent data presented in real time.
“From our previous work we have developed extensive relationships with leading clinicians in the application of high-performance wearable displays in advanced procedures, and we look to leverage the knowledge of this group as we create the next generation of advanced eyewear for medical application,” said Allen Newman, co-founder of Endopodium.
Read more Borns, AI-Powered Minimally Invasive Surgery Has Huge Prospects in Healthcare
Paul Baker, Kopin’s Senior Vice President of Business Development said his company is helping to drive the adoption of AR in applications across multiple industries by providing the highest performance displays to the military, enterprise and consumer markets. “We are excited to partner with the pioneers in using advanced visualization technology for medical applications, as we believe our combined expertise creates an unmatched team to develop and commercialize products that will enhance critical performance in complex surgical situations. We continue to see new opportunities for AR systems in the enterprise and safety markets, and those opportunities are now expanding to include the medical field,” Baker said.
