MicroEmissive Displays was named in Tornado Insider’s Top 100 for Europe’s most promising and innovative companies, which have clearly demonstrated that the technology they are commercializing today will change the way life is tomorrow

MicroEmissive Displays announes that it has signed an agreement with Dow for the supply of Lumation light emitting polymers for the use in MED microdisplays.

MicroEmissive Displays Ltd, Edinburgh; Thales Optics, St. Asaph; University of Abertay, Dundee announce £0.5 Million (US $0.8M) collaboration on next generation head-mounted display systems.

Microdisplay start-up, optics specialist & research centre get together to meet demand for Lightweight low-power video headsets

• MicroEmissive Displays Ltd, the Edinburgh based pioneer of polymer-based organic light emitting diode (OLED) microdisplays
• Thales Optics, leading manufacturer of optical displays
• EPICentre, University of Abertay Dundee, a centre of excellence in display measurement, characterisation and usability
today announced the start of a 24-month collaborative project to develop a next generation head-mounted display system

Applications
The new headsets are intended for use in a broad range of applications from consumer-oriented such as personal computer gaming, video enabled hands-free kit for cell phones to professional such as thermal imaging for emergency services

Advantages
The new system will have the following advantages:
• Reduced size and weight, i.e., increased wearability
• Reduced power consumption, i.e., longer battery life
• Improved ruggedness & operating temperature range, i.e., better usability
• Reduced cost, more affordable

The new systems will incorporate microdisplays based upon MED’s proprietary organic emissive microdisplay technology and novel optics custom designed by Thales to take full advantage of the new microdisplays. The EPICentre will contribute by advising upon usability and ergonomic issues in the design and by measuring the physical and human-factors characteristics of the final system.

The project is entitled “Eye-Zone Display System using Emissive Microdisplay” or more succinctly “EZ Display”. It is part-funded by the UK Department of Trade and Industry under the LINK Information Storage and Displays (ISD) Programme. The aim of the collaboration is to develop and characterise a robust, lightweight and ergonomic head-mounted display system (the American pronunciation of “Z” is intended so that “EZ Display” is pronounced as “Easy Display”).

Contact details
Company: MicroEmissive Displays Ltd
Address: Scottish Microelectronics Centre, The Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JF
Contact: Dr Ian Underwood, Director of Strategic Marketing, EZ Display Project Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 131 650 7757
Fax: +44 (0) 131 650 7761
E-mail: i.underwood@microemissive.com
Web: www.microemissive.com

Company: Thales Optics UK
Address: Glascoed Road, St Asaph, Denbighshire, LL17 OLL
Contact: John Blomfield,
Tel: +44(0) 1745 588378
Fax: +44 (0) 1745 5842587
E-mail: john.blomfield@uk.thalesgroup.com
Web: www.thales-optics.co.uk

Company: EPICentre, University of Abertay Dundee
Address: 9 West Bell Street, Dundee DD1 1HG
Contact: Professor Allan Gillespie
Tel: +44 (0) 138 230 8247
Fax: +44 (0) 138 230 8688
E-mail: w.a.gillespie@abertay.ac.uk
Web: www.epicentre.abertay.ac.uk

Department of Trade and Industry
LINK program on Information Storage and Display (ISD)
Address: 306 Green, 151 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9SS
Contact: Steve Woodard
Tel: +44 (0) 207 215 1375
Fax: +44 (0) 207 215 1547
E-mail: steve.woodard@dti.gsi.gov.uk
Web: http://www.linkisd.org.uk/
Quotes
Dr Ian Underwood, MED’s Director of Strategic Marketing and Project Manager for the EZ Display Project said “MED’s current main market is electronic viewfinders (EVF) for digital cameras and camcorders. The consumer market for head-mounted and wearable displays is constrained today by the price or performance of the available technology. The EZ Display project has the promise to deliver technology capable of meeting the customers requirements and so expand the market.”

John Blomfield, Development Manager for Thales Optics said, “Thales Optics is renowned for its military display products. The EZ Display project will allow us to apply the novel techniques we have developed in new markets. Through close collaboration with MED and experts in displays human factors at EPICentre, we will develop an optical system which takes maximum advantage of the unique properties of the new microdisplay and matches the capabilities of the human visual system.

Professor Allan Gillespie, Director of Abertay’s EPICentre commented: “We believe that the combination of MicroEmissive Displays Polymer LED technology and Thales Optics advanced optical design with EPICentre expertise in the human factors specification and measurement of these miniature systems has the potential to produce really novel solutions for an expanding market”.

Images and artwork
Pictures of current technology, company logos etc can be made available electronically upon request.

About MicroEmissive Displays Ltd
MicroEmissive Displays Ltd (MED) was founded in late 1999 by Dr Jeff Wright and Dr Ian Underwood as a spinout from Napier and Edinburgh Universities respectively. The company is on track to become a leading provider of microdisplays for portable consumer electronics. Current markets include electronic viewfinders for high growth market such as digital still camera and camcorders. Likely future markets include wearable displays such as headsets for computer games and personal movie viewers.

Chaired by Professor Peter Denyer, founder and former CEO of Vision Group, the CMOS image sensor company acquired by STMicroelectronics in 1999, MED has developed intellectual property within light emitting polymer microdisplays and their associated manufacturing process. Bill Campbell was appointed CEO in May 2002.

MED is using its recent third round of venture capital finance (US $7.5M) provided largely by continuing investors Scottish Equity Partners & 3i and new investor BASF to begin volume manufacturing of its first major product – the ME3203 colour microdisplay. First shipments of that product are expected early in 2004. MED is headquartered at the Scottish Microelectronics Centre, Edinburgh, Scotland and has established sales channels in Taiwan and Japan.

MED’s Technology
MED’s microdisplays are typically a small fraction of the size of a postage stamp and are viewed via a lens, combining a high quality ‘virtual image’ similar in size to that seen from a desktop monitor, with extremely low power consumption. This approach enables video, or high-resolution still images such as web pages to be viewed on portable consumer products. In comparison with conventional LCD’s, battery life of the product is increased. Microdisplays are expected to have application in camcorders, cameras, 3G mobile phones, toys, headsets for wearable computing, and a wide range of other headset products.

About Thales Optics
North Wales based Thales Optics specialises in the design, development and manufacture of electro-optical systems, sub-systems, modules and components for the military, aerospace, civil and industrial markets. It employs over 450 people, of whom a high percentage are qualified engineers and a number acknowledged world experts in their specialist area. In FY2002 the company’s turnover exceeded £45M and the company plans to invest over £9M in the next 3 years. The company is organised into business groups which cover the following product sectors: Avionics, Night Vision, Advanced Optics, Business development and technology, Ultra Precision Machining and Space Components.

Thales Optics is a member of the “High Tech Optics” division of the “Thales Optronics Systems” group, which provides a complete range of optronic products, systems and services to government and commercial customers across the globe. Overall Thales employs 12000 people in the UK and has a turnover of £1.2bn. Its defence activities encompass optronics, sensors, communications, air defence and naval systems. The worldwide Thales Group employs 65,000 people generating global revenues of some £7 billion.

About The EPICentre, University of Abertay, Dundee
The EPICentre is a University institute established to promote interdisciplinary research, training and services in the area of human-technology interaction for displays and communications. It has a strong commercial orientation, and welcomes collaboration with industrial or academic partners. The emphasis is on interdisciplinary research covering the broad areas of emerging display technologies, human factors of the visual interface, and human-device interaction. Its research spans a broad range of display-related activities, including the improvement of existing flat panel display characteristics, the optical metrology of display systems, the design & implementation of near-to-eye systems based on high-resolution microdisplays, and the applications of mobile and wearable computing systems.

This work is a development and extension of activities in the Photonics Centre at Abertay, and consequently also embraces photonics research in high-power lasers and semiconductor materials. The EPICentre is affiliated to the School of Computing and Advanced Technologies (CATS) at the University, and works in close collaboration with the International Centre for Computer Games and Virtual Entertainment (IC CAVE).

Dr Ian Underwood, co-founder of MicroEmissive Displays, was named as the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year for 2003

MED announces 3rd round of funding of $7.5 million. BASF Ventures joins existing investors.