Zeiss’s “Holocam” is an innovative technology that turns glass windows into cameras by using holography. This technology integrates a transparent camera into a glass medium using holographic in-coupling, light guiding, and de-coupling elements to redirect incoming light to a hidden sensor. The Holocam eliminates the need for visible cutouts or installation spaces in visible areas, which allows for a seamless integration into various surfaces like car windows, laptop screens, or even front doors.
The Holocam is part of Zeiss’s Multifunctional Smart Glass system, which was showcased at CES 2024. This system combines projection, illumination, and filtering functionality with the camera technology. The transparent film used in the technology is characterized by ultra-high-precision optics and maintains a high level of transparency, over 92 percent, ensuring maximum clarity.
Zeiss is not marketing finished products directly but is acting as a system provider to OEMs, offering the technology for integration into various applications. The Holocam technology has potential uses in automobiles for features like parking cameras, fatigue detection for drivers, and Car2X communications. It can also be used in consumer electronics for videoconferencing, where the placement of the camera can allow for direct eye contact.
The technology is a significant advancement in holography, likened to the ‘Gutenberg moment’ for the field, and offers almost unlimited design freedom for applications like rear or brake lights in vehicles, with the added benefits of reduced installation space and low energy consumption.