The future of augmented reality is looking bright as three heavyweights – MICROOLED, Quanta Computer, and STMicroelectronics – today unveiled their groundbreaking collaboration on a reference design for ActiveLook-enabled AR smart glasses at MWC Barcelona 2025.
This innovative partnership brings together MICROOLED’s expertise in OLED micro-displays, Quanta Computer’s world-class manufacturing capabilities, and STMicroelectronics’ advanced semiconductor solutions; creating a solution to solve the need for “mission-critical information in real-time and on the move”, particularly in the sporting arena.
Real-Time Information Wherever You Go
The new reference design specifically addresses the growing demand for “mission-critical information in real-time and on the move” — a use case that has enormous implications for sports enthusiasts, outdoor adventurers, and professionals across multiple industries.
Unlike more bulky, more power-hungry AR headsets of the past, these new smart glasses leverage the innovative ActiveLook “Light AR” protocol, delivering crucial information directly to the wearer’s field of vision without compromising on style, comfort, or battery life.
A New Generation of Smart Eyewear?
The reference design showcases a major for eyewear manufacturers, who can now rapidly develop diverse AR glasses models tailored to specific needs and markets. Powered by STMicroelectronics’ STM32U5 series microcontrollers, these glasses offer an unprecedented combination of low power consumption and advanced graphics capabilities.
Xavier Bonjour, Partnerships and Marketing Director at MICROOLED said:
This collaboration represents a significant step forward in making widespread ‘Light AR’ solutions a reality. By combining MICROOLED’s light AR software platform, Quanta’s electronics design and manufacturing expertise, and STM’s semiconductor leadership, we are empowering eyewear manufacturers to create innovative smart eyewear that delivers critical information when and where it’s needed most: on the move!
What truly sets this reference design apart is its seamless integration with the ActiveLook firmware, providing immediate access to an expanding ecosystem of sports applications and smartwatches.
Developers can leverage the ActiveLook API to create new applications; helping drive innovation across the AR landscape.
This open ecosystem approach ensures that users will benefit from a continuously improving experience, with new features and capabilities regularly added through software updates.
Putting the User Experience First
The reference design addresses a potential gap in the current AR market by focusing on practical, everyday use cases rather than immersive but impractical solutions. By emphasising extremely low power consumption and advanced graphics in a lightweight form factor, these smart glasses can be worn comfortably throughout daily activities.
For sports enthusiasts, this means real-time performance metrics, navigation guidance, and training instructions without breaking stride. For outdoor adventurers, it translates to hands-free access to maps, weather alerts, and critical safety information while maintaining full awareness of their surroundings.
The collaboration between industry leaders ensures that the reference design meets the highest standards of quality, reliability, and performance. The combined expertise of MICROOLED, Quanta Computer, and STMicroelectronics is establishing a solid foundation for the next generation of AR smart glasses.
See It Live at MWC 2025
Attendees of MWC Barcelona 2025 can experience prototypes of the reference design firsthand at ShowStoppers, the premier press event of the conference. The prototypes will also be on display at the MICROOLED booth, located in the Business France Pavilion (Hall 5, 5B41 & 5B61) on March 4th, 2025.
This collaboration could accelerate the adoption of AR technology in everyday eyewear, potentially bringing “Light AR” capabilities to millions of consumers over the next few years.
For manufacturers interested in learning more about the reference design, representatives from all three companies will be available for meetings and demonstrations throughout the conference.
