At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Lumus demonstrated advanced waveguides that promise to enhance smartglasses with significantly wider fields of view. The company's Z-30 model offers a 30-degree FOV, while a prototype achieves 70 degrees, potentially transforming wearable optics.
Lumus, known for its waveguides in the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, showcased its latest components at CES 2026, signaling a leap in smartglasses technology. The Z-30 waveguides provide a 30-degree field of view (FOV), 30 percent lighter and 40 percent thinner than previous versions. They are also more power-efficient, achieving over 8,000 nits per watt, which addresses battery limitations in lightweight wearables.
During demos, the Z-30 displayed sharp 720 x 720 resolution images with rich colors and impressive brightness, making the expanded FOV feel substantial. Lumus representative noted that the increase surpasses the typical 20-degree FOV in current models like the Meta Ray-Ban Displays.
The highlight was the 70-degree FOV prototype, covering nearly the entire lens center, with only minor corner unused areas. While some pincushion distortion appeared along the edges, the representative assured it could be corrected in production units. These waveguides produced some of the sharpest and brightest optics seen in smartglasses prototypes.
Lumus' geometric reflective design offers better efficiency than refractive alternatives and allows optical bonding to lenses, enabling integration with transition lenses without clip-ons. The waveguides are as thin as 0.8mm, simplifying manufacturing and boosting yields. With production ramping up via partners like Quanta and SCHOTT, Lumus positions itself for widespread adoption in upcoming high-end smartglasses.
This demonstration underscores growing momentum in the smartglasses industry, though challenges like capturing display photos with prototypes persist.