Description du projet
Avoir bonne mine grâce à un nouveau doublet optique rempli de liquide
Vers l’âge de 40 ans, l’œil humain commence à perdre sa capacité à mettre les images au point sur des distances courtes et à s’y adapter. C’est un phénomène appelé perte de la vision de près liée à l’âge (presbytie). Le projet SEECLEAR, financé par l’UE, met au point des lunettes adaptatives pour corriger la presbytie. La différence entre ces lunettes et le reste repose sur le fait qu’elles offrent une vision claire, quelle que soit la distance,sans sacrifier les critères esthétiques. Comment le projet est-il parvenu à cela? Grâce à un doublet optique révolutionnaire rempli de liquide, activé par le biais d’actionneurs microfluidiques de faible puissance insérés dans les branches des lunettes et impulsés par un capteur de distance infrarouge miniature. Cette lentille fournit également un vaste champ de vision. En outre, elle est transparente et compatible avec la plupart des formes de verres et des styles de monture.
Objectif
Laclarée develops adaptive eyeglasses for presbyopia correction. Based on a patented technology, these eyeglasses offer presbyopes clear vision at all distances without levelling down aesthetic standards.
Presbyopia appears by age 40-45 with increasing difficulties to focus at near distances and affects 400 million people in Europe, Japan and North America. Progressive lenses, featuring a vertical gradient of optical power, are today the best compromise to presbyopia correction. Still about 10% of presbyopes are very unsatisfied with these lenses, experiencing a reduced quality of life.
Laclarée’s product has been designed to answer to this demand, corresponding to about 2 b€/y. Our solution relies on a disruptive fluid-filled doublet-lens activated by low-power microfluidic actuators inserted in the eyeglass arms and driven by a miniature infrared distance sensor. The lens offers a large field of view, is as transparent as any other ophthalmic lens and is compatible with most lens shapes and frame styles.
Laclarée’s team is highly motivated and gathers extensive skills in optics, microfluidic and vision science. The founder of Laclarée is an experienced entrepreneur, he has successfully established a world-leading company in variable optics for cameras.
The team has achieved the Proof of Concept, with a fully functional demonstrator, enabling a small scale trial with presbyopic people and raising a marked interest the ecosystem. Laclarée is preparing a seed round: a term sheet has been signed with one French and one German financial investors, discussions are ongoing with one industrial leader investor.
Laclarée would like to launch a feasibility study on the user interface: mode switching between automatic and manual operations is needed and making it natural and easy-to-use is a difficult task, considering the age of presbyopes and the constraints of the product. The success of this feasibility study is crucial for market acceptance of our eyeglasses.
Champ scientifique
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesclassical mechanicsfluid mechanicsmicrofluidics
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensorsoptical sensors
- social scienceseconomics and businessbusiness and managemententrepreneurship
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesoptics
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
Programme(s)
Régime de financement
SME-1 - SME instrument phase 1Coordinateur
69008 LYON
France
L’entreprise s’est définie comme une PME (petite et moyenne entreprise) au moment de la signature de la convention de subvention.