As the vehicle technology industry moves toward a more sustainable and automated future, innovative solutions enable never-before capabilities, from preventing collisions to increasing fuel efficiency.

CES 2021 exhibitor Metamaterial — known as META — is manufacturing ultra-lightweight materials that manipulate interactions with light and can redefine solar solutions, aircraft safety, wearable technology and more.

Explore two of the core technologies showcased in META solutions.

Holography: More Than 3D Objects

Holograms — recordings of interference patterns using diffraction to reproduce a 3D light field that holds the depth and properties of the original image — have been leveraged in entertainment and in creating 3D security tags for commercial use.

META designs holograms as specialty optical elements that allow for lighter, smaller, and cheaper devices across industries, including in augmented and virtual reality and space travel. The company has also extended this core competency to applications in vehicle technology:

Heads-Up Display: META developed a holographic optical combiner that can create a heads-up display capable of superimposing light from a projector system on scenes from the outside world. This allows the vehicle windshield to remain transparent while also displaying vital information such as status updates, enabling drivers to keep their eyes on the road and stay safe.

Lidar Performance: Light detection and ranging (Lidar) uses laser pulses to map the surroundings of a self-driving vehicle. META is developing a solution that integrates spatially-modulated holograms that can enhance the range of lidar scanning while improving the compactness of the system.

Nanolithography: Creating Transparent Metal Mesh

NanoWeb, developed through META’s Rolling Mask Lithography, is a transparent conductor made of invisible metal mesh that can be fabricated onto any glass or plastic surface. The thin layer is essentially a 2D mesh of continuous wires and allows energy to be conducted while remaining transparent.

NanoWeb can be conformed to curved surfaces, such as headlights or camera lenses, and help in various thermal or communication solutions for vehicles:

Integrated De-Icing and De-Fogging: Whereas conventional vehicle climate control systems direct air from the heater through ducts below the windshield, NanoWeb transparent heaters allow integrated heating elements to be used on the entire windshield without obstructing the driver’s view. Eliminating the ductwork also saves space and reduces vehicle weight, improving fuel efficiency and range.

5G Transparent Antennas: NanoWeb’s high conductivity enables transparent antennas that don’t disrupt the driver’s line of sight but maintain performance on par with a traditional metallic antenna. The NanoWeb antennas can be designed to specific frequencies, from radio waves to 5G, for the various needs for car communications systems.

Next-generation innovations in vehicle technology, such as NanoWeb and holographic solutions, can contribute to reducing significant costs, traffic congestion, safety concerns and more.

Explore more of the vehicle technology products and insights that were featured at the all-digital CES 2021 through our programming, now available on demand for all.