From Metasurface Optics to Sensing Polarized Light

This presentation will introduce how metasurface technology, originally developed in the Applied Physics Lab at Harvard University, has been productized for use in near-infrared imaging applications. Already more than 100 million metasurface optics have been made in semiconductor foundries and shipped into a variety of smartphones and consumer electronics. The talk will then explore the unique capabilities and use cases for machine vision systems that are able to sense the polarization of light.

PolarEyes, the 2023 PRISM Award-winning system developed by Metalenz, is based on metasurface optics that are able to control the flow of photons based on the state of their polarization, thereby enabling a consumer-grade polarization image sensor. With this technology, machine vision systems can gain new insights about their surroundings that can be leveraged by better (faster, more precise) AI models. The first application for this in machine vision is in the biometric imaging space, with fast, secure, and affordable face unlock for any smartphone or consumer electronic device.

About the presenter
Lars Johnsson is the vice president of product, sales, and marketing at Metalenz. Drawing on his experience from over 25 years of repeated success growing market share, revenue, and profit while bringing new and disruptive products to market, he leads all aspects of Metalenz's product roadmap, go-to-market strategy, and revenue generation.

Prior to Metalenz, Johnsson was vice president of mobile marketing at Skyworks Solutions, senior director of product marketing at TDK-InvenSense and Broadcom Corporation. In addition, he was instrumental in driving three start-ups from pre-revenue concept to profitable exits, as vice president of marketing and business development at Cavendish Kinetics and Beceem Communications, and Flarion Technologies, which he co-founded.