Leia (company)


Leia Inc. is a Menlo Park-based startup company developing display technology that uses nanostructures to diffract a backlight directionally into a light field and create "holographic" visual effects.
Leia is headquartered in Menlo Park, California, with a nano-fabrication center in Palo Alto, a content team in Los Angeles and industrialization center in Suzhou, China.

History

The company was founded in 2014 as a spin-off from HP Labs. Its research into the holographic display concept under HP was published by Nature in 2013. CEO David Fattal explained that its diffraction system would address shortcomings with other mobile 3D display systems, such as being able to be seen by multiple viewers at once, using the display in its original 2D mode with no loss of resolution and not requiring CPU-intensive eye tracking. The company foresaw uses of its technology in mobile devices, automobiles, and medical applications.
In May 2016, Leia announced a partnership with Altice to market a smartphone featuring its technology.
In 2017, Red Digital Cinema announced its intent to produce a high-end smartphone featuring the technology. As part of its development, Red entered into a strategic partnership with Leia, including funding, and Red's founder Jim Jannard joining Leia's board of directors.
In 2018, Leia launched its lightfield content platform including an Android App Store and a .
The RED Hydrogen phone featuring Leia's first switchable lightfield display product was launched on November 2, 2018 in the United States via AT&T and Verizon and in Mexico via Telcel.
In July 2019, Leia and Continental announced a long term partnership to bring lightfield displays and content to the automotive world.