Volvo Cars has invested in Spectralics, an optical and imaging technology start-up based in Israel. According to a press release, the investment, made through the Volvo Cars Tech Fund, provides the automaker with access to promising safety technology at its early stage of development. As described by Volvo, Spectralics leverages its aerospace background to develop imaging and optical infrastructure spanning materials, along with hardware and software, to enable a wide variety of optical capabilities.
“Spectralics is an exciting company with technology that holds truly great promise,” said Henrik Green, Chief Product Officer at Volvo Cars. “By supporting their development, we can bring forward the potential their products could have in future Volvo cars.”
MLTC Technology
One of the company’s core solutions is a multi-layered thin combiner (MLTC), a new type of thin optics “film” applicable to see-through surfaces of varying shapes and sizes. Integrated into a car’s windshield or windows, the technology could be used to overlay imagery on the glass. Volvo notes that there are possible use cases for new heads-up display systems to increase safety. Other potential uses include advanced filters for various applications, in-cabin sensing, blind-proof front-looking cameras, and digital holographic projections.
“We are proud to partner with a progressive technology leader like Volvo Cars,” said Ran Bar-Yosef, co-founder and CEO of Spectralics. “We identify multiple touch-points with Volvo Cars’ vision in the ecosystem and recognize future Volvos as the right fit for new technologies.”
MobilityXLab Program
Spectralics is an alumnus of the MobilityXLab program in Gothenburg, Sweden, and is part of the DRIVE network in Tel-Aviv, Israel. Both are accelerators for promising start-ups with ideas that can break new ground in the mobility sector. Volvo Cars has been a leading partner in both initiatives since 2017.
“This investment is another result of our successful collaboration with MobilityXlab and DRIVE, and it deepens our relationship with these innovation partners,” said Lee Ma, head of the Volvo Cars Tech Fund. “Spectralics is a good portfolio fit for us and we believe that their technology has the potential to set a standard for the next generation of displays and cameras.”
