Microvision Teams with Carl Zeiss To Develop Medical Instruments
Microvision, Inc. announced that it has entered into a letter of intent with Carl Zeiss, Inc., a world leader in precision optics, to jointly develop a range of ophthalmic, visualization and imaging devices that will utilize Microvision's VRD technology across a broad range of medical instruments.
Under the terms of the agreement, the companies have agreed to pursue opportunities to develop functional experimental devices, complete testing and validation including clinical studies, and ensure effective collaboration through final product development and the development of marketing and sales strategies. For competitive reasons the companies have not yet provided specific details of the products under consideration, but said that they plan to build and test market several demonstration systems based on Microvision's VRD technology during the coming months.
"This marks the beginning of a truly exciting partnership with one of the world's long standing leaders in high quality optical instrumentation. The Zeiss name is synonymous with unsurpassed quality in a variety of medical and commercial product categories," said Rick Rutkowski, Microvision president and CEO. "Zeiss' optics design and manufacturing capabilities and their product presence make an excellent fit to leverage Microvision's enabling technology. Together we see a significant market for medical products enabled by VRD technology and we stand ready to provide truly innovative and powerful products for these markets. We're looking forward to sharing more information as the relationship develops and as we get closer to products."
Microvision, Inc. is the developer of the patented Virtual Retinal Display (VRD) technology that uses a rapidly scanned beam of light to project images on the eye's retina, allowing the viewer to see large, full-motion images without the need for a conventional display screen. Carl Zeiss sells and services a broad line of optical, scientific and industrial instruments worldwide and has a 150-year heritage of developing and manufacturing high quality optical systems.