At CES 2025, I encountered two companies that are reshaping the landscape of immersive technology: Attention Labs and 2Pi Optics. These innovators are pushing boundaries, making me rethink how we interact with virtual and mixed realities. Let’s dive into why they’re so groundbreaking.
Attention Labs: Revolutionizing Real-time Auditory Focus
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Attention Labs specializes in “Real-time auditory focus”, a concept that has been intriguing since Michael Abrash introduced it at an Oculus Connect event years ago. The idea is simple yet profound: when multiple people talk in the same room, whether real or virtual, each person should only hear the voices of those they want to engage with. This isn’t just a futuristic dream—it’s becoming a reality.
During their CES demo, a group of four participants, including myself, my CES companion Tyriel Wood, an engineer from Attention Labs, and a remote employee who called himself “The Ghost”, split into two separate conversations. Tyriel interacted with the engineer, while I talked with The Ghost. To immerse us in the experience, we wore Oculus Quest 3 headsets in passthrough mode and noise-canceling headphones. The setup was seamless, allowing each group to converse independently.
Without the system active, we could hear all the voices simultaneously, creating a chaotic overlap typical of current social VR environments.Conversations from one group interfered with the other, making it hard to focus. Though, when Attention Labs’ system was turned on, I could only hear The Ghost, and he could only hear me. The voices from the other group became faint background noise. This separation allowed both groups to communicate clearly without interruptions.
Curious about the mechanics, I asked Attention Labs how the system works. They explained that it tracks where your attention is focused. If you and another person look at each other,the system identifies you as an autonomous group and mutes other voices. During the demo, the groups were fixed, but in real-world scenarios, if you shift your attention to a new group, the system disconnects you from the current group and connects you to the new one. Edge cases, like briefly addressing someone outside your group, are still being refined, but the foundation is already impressive.
The innovations unfolding at attention Labs are nothing short of revolutionary. They are paving the way for what Michael Abrash, during an Oculus Connect event, referred to as the “future of audio.” Abrash envisioned a world where we could wear extended reality (XR) glasses throughout our day, allowing us to hear only the sounds we desire.
These glasses would function like advanced noise-canceling headphones, but with a twist. They wouldn’t just block out unwanted noise; they’d intelligently identify and amplify the audio signals we want to focus on. Simultaneously, they’d emit opposing sound waves to cancel out the distractions, leveraging destructive interference to create a personalized auditory experience.
The concept is groundbreaking. Imagine walking in a bustling city, yet hearing only the melody of your favorite song or the voice of a friend calling out to you. The rest—the cacophony of horns, chatter, and ambient noise—would simply fade away. this is the power of selective audio, a technology that Attention Labs is pioneering.
This innovation isn’t just about convenience; it’s about redefining our relationship with sound. It’s about crafting an auditory environment tailored to our needs,preferences,and moments. As we move towards a future where wearable tech becomes ubiquitous, Attention Labs’ work could fundamentally change how we experience the world around us.
The promise of such technology is immense. It’s not merely a step forward in audio engineering; it’s a leap towards a more immersive, personalized reality. And as Michael Abrash’s vision suggests, it’s a future we might soon be living in.
The Revolutionary World of Metalenses
Metalenses, the cutting-edge innovation in optical technology, are not your ordinary, curved lenses. Metalenses are flat lenses that use metasurfaces to focus light.
Imagine a world where lenses are no longer bulky, curved, and space-consuming. That’s exactly what metalenses promise. Unlike conventional lenses, which rely on a combination of curved surfaces to manipulate light, metalenses are flat and use metasurfaces to achieve the same effect. This makes them a game-changer for compact systems like cell phone cameras and AR/VR devices.
Metalenses are composed of millions of tiny unit cells called meta-atoms. These subwavelength nano-atoms modulate light locally and coherently across the entire metasurface. The shape and size of each meta-atom are carefully designed based on the overall performance of the metalens. By delaying the phase of light and arranging these meta-atoms precisely, metalenses can replicate the phase profile of a classic curved lens.
Traditional lenses often require multiple layers to correct image aberrations,which can take up notable space. Metalenses, on the other hand, offer a sleek, flat design that is perfect for modern devices where space is a premium. This innovation is not just a step forward; it’s a leap into the future of optical technology.
as we move towards more compact and efficient devices, metalenses are poised to become a cornerstone of next-generation optical systems. Their ability to perform the same functions as traditional lenses, while being substantially smaller, opens up a world of possibilities for designers and engineers.
Whether it’s in your smartphone camera, AR glasses, or VR headsets, metalenses are set to redefine how we interact with light and technology. The future is flat, and it’s incredibly exciting.
Metalenses represent a groundbreaking shift in lens technology. Unlike traditional lenses, which rely on curved glass or plastic to bend light, metalenses are constructed using nanoscale components arranged on a flat surface. These tiny structures are meticulously designed to manipulate light in precise ways, achieving the same focusing effects as conventional lenses but with far greater adaptability and efficiency.
The term “meta” in metalenses refers to their unconventional design. While they don’t resemble traditional lenses, they perform the same core function: redirecting light to a desired focal point. Traditional lenses frequently enough require complex stacks to achieve specific optical effects,which can be bulky,expensive,and challenging to manufacture.Metalenses, conversely, eliminate the need for such stacks by embedding the desired optical properties directly into their surface. This innovation allows for ultra-thin, lightweight designs that are far more compact than their traditional counterparts.
One of the moast exciting applications of metalenses is in the field of virtual reality (VR). VR headsets rely heavily on optics to deliver immersive experiences, but the bulk and weight of traditional lenses can hinder comfort and portability. Metalenses offer a promising solution. Imagine replacing the thick, heavy lenses in VR headsets with two flat, lightweight surfaces that deliver superior optical performance. This could lead to sleeker, more comfortable headsets with sharper visuals and reduced strain on users.
Companies like 2Pi Optics are at the forefront of this technology. They are developing advanced metalenses that could revolutionize industries ranging from VR to medical imaging. For instance, the image below showcases a thin film embedded with four distinct metalenses, each engineered to manipulate light in unique ways. This level of precision and versatility is what makes metalenses such a game-changer.
metalenses are poised to redefine the future of optics.By leveraging nanotechnology to create flat, programmable surfaces, they offer a more efficient and versatile alternative to traditional lenses. Whether in VR headsets, cameras, or medical devices, the potential applications of this technology are vast and transformative. As research and progress continue, we can expect metalenses to play a pivotal role in shaping the next generation of optical devices.
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Below is another example of a metalens, this time integrated into a pair of binocular cameras. This innovative technology showcases how compact and efficient these lenses can be, even when applied to complex imaging systems.
Metalens installed on binocular cameras.
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A metalens for a small camera
Metalenses are no longer just a concept confined to research papers—they’re becoming a tangible reality. During a recent visit to CES,I had the opportunity to witness these cutting-edge optical components firsthand. What struck me most was their remarkable thinness and compact size, a stark contrast to traditional bulky lenses. This breakthrough in optical technology has the potential to revolutionize industries, particularly in the realm of virtual and augmented reality.
Curious about their applications, I approached a representative from 2Pi Optics to inquire about their potential use in VR headsets. The response was both intriguing and promising. “Theoretically, this is absolutely possible, and we could be able to do that,” the representative explained. He further elaborated that designing metalenses for VR is relatively straightforward compared to AR, which poses greater challenges due to the complex visual engines required for augmented reality.
Though, there’s a catch. While the technology is groundbreaking, it’s not yet cost-effective for mass production. “Building VR lenses with metasurfaces would not be cost-effective today,” the representative noted. The high production costs would significantly increase the price of VR headsets,making traditional optical lenses the more practical choice for manufacturers. Despite this, the future looks bright. “In the future,this could become viable,” he added,sparking visions of how XR headsets could evolve with this technology.
Imagine a world where VR and AR headsets are lighter, slimmer, and more efficient, thanks to the integration of metalenses. While we’re not there yet, the groundwork is being laid for a future where these advanced optics could redefine immersive experiences.
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It looks like you’ve shared a block of HTML code that includes image elements with metadata and attributes. The code appears to be part of a webpage that displays images related to “2pi optics” and metalenses,possibly for a small camera or a stereo camera setup. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements:
Key Points:
- Images:
– Two images are included, both related to “2pi optics” and metalenses.
– The first image (2pi-optics-lens.jpg) is described as a metalens for a small camera.
– The second image (2pi-optics-lens-2.jpg) is related to a stereo camera setup.
- metadata:
– Each image has associated metadata, such as data-image-title, data-image-description, and data-image-caption.
- The metadata includes details like aperture, focal length, and orientation, though many fields are set to “0” or are empty.
- Responsive design:
– The images use srcset and sizes attributes to ensure they are responsive and load appropriately based on the viewer’s screen size.
- Accessibility:
– The images include alt attributes for accessibility, describing the content of the images.
– They also have role="button" and tabindex="0", which suggests they might be interactive (e.g., clickable).
- Styling:
- The images have inline styles (style="width:533px;height:auto" and style="width:640px;height:auto") to control their display size.
- Figure Captions:
– The first image has a caption: “A metalens for a small camera.”
– The second image does not have a caption in the provided code.
Observations:
- The images are hosted on
i0.wp.com, which is typically a WordPress CDN (Content Delivery Network). - The URLs suggest the images are part of a blog post or article on a wordpress site, possibly related to optics or camera technology.
- The use of
data-* attributes indicates that the site might be using JavaScript to handle image interactions or dynamic content.
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