This is certainly one of the most interesting acquisitions of 2022. Meta, parent company of the giant Facebook, has acquired Belgian company Luxexcel. The latter develops and commercializes 3D printed lenses; it is gradually integrating digital technology into the lenses, opening a new market for augmented reality (AR) technology in the optics sector.
Facebook has been exploring (and still explores) the use of AM for some projects, but its parent company Meta will be digging more into the field with this acquisition. The latter makes sense when we know the company’s campaign to boost the Metaverse, a spatial computing platform that provides digital experiences as an alternative to or a replica of the real world.
The company’s campaign, ‘The Impact Will Be Real’ which has been running since September 5th, aims to provide people a first glimpse of what these benefits could be. Despite the controversy around this new technological development, the company puts forward some of the advantages that can create total agreement amid the sceptics: real-world benefits for healthcare professionals as surgeons could practise operations virtually.
The acquisition of Luxexcel might imply that Meta could be exploring the Belgian company’s capabilities to further develop the Metaverse. As a matter of fact, both companies would have previously collaborated on the development of specialist lenses used in Meta’s Project Aria, a project which seeks to create ordinary glasses with integrated AR technology.
While the amount of the acquisition has not been disclosed, it should be good news for the Flemish taxpayer, which invested heavily into Luxexcel through the Participatiemaatschappij Vlaanderen (PMV), an independent organisation owned by the Flemish government that supports economic investment initiatives in Flemish-speaking regions.
Source: Brussels Times. Remember, you can post free of charge job opportunities in the AM Industry on 3D ADEPT Media or look for a job via our job board. Make sure to follow us on our social networks and subscribe to our weekly newsletter : Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn & Instagram ! If you want to be featured in the next issue of our digital magazine or if you hear a story that needs to be heard, make sure to send it to contact@3dadept.com
