SPIE AR | VR | MR is one of the most professional and influential industry exhibitions globally. SPIE 2025 took place on January 27-29 in San Francisco, USA, attracting top researchers, engineers, investors, and industry companies worldwide to share the latest advancements in the XR industry.  

For the first time, North Ocean Photonics (NOP) participated in SPIE AR | VR | MR, showcasing its Yingning Gen-II AR waveguide and the newly introduced Yuzhang series. Invited by the conference committee, NOP delivered a Feature Talk in the dedicated waveguide session, presenting the keynote titled "Accelerating the Adoption of AR Smart Glasses with Diffractive Waveguides."

During the talk, NOP reviewed the development, transformation, and emerging challenges in the waveguide industry, addressing key industry concerns and pain points. The company also shared its efforts and latest advancements over the past 18 months. As the flagship products of this exhibition, NOP officially launched the second-generation Yingning AR waveguide and the new Yuzhang series:

Yingning is a single-plate, high-performance, full-color Glass waveguide based on NOP’s direct etching platform. The new generation of Yingning achieves significant improvements in optical performance compared to its predecessor. Yuzhang is a newly introduced single-plate, high-performance, full-color Polymer waveguide. Leveraging the unique properties of polymer materials, Yuzhang has a single-plate thickness of 0.9mm and weighs only 2.2g, making it the lightest in NOP’s full-color waveguide family—approximately 1g lighter than a 0.4mm full-color glass waveguide. While significantly reducing weight, Yuzhang also maintains excellent optical performance, achieving a waveguide efficiency of 1,600 nits/lm (20° FOV). The Yuzhang series provides a new solution for high reliability and indoor/outdoor application scenarios.  

NOP's booth became a truly gathering place for suppliers, customers, and partners. Notably, as long-term strategic partner and close collaborator of NOP, Karl Lamprecht, the current CEO of German optics giant, Carl Zeiss Group, and Andreas Pecher, his successor, made a special visit to NOP’s booth. Their presence further strengthened the foundation for deeper cooperation between the two companies in the new year. 

With the successful conclusion of SPIE 2025, NOP remains committed to pushing the boundaries of technology, driving innovation, and advancing the adoption of AR solutions. We believe that, through the joint efforts of our partners, the AR industry will evolve towards a more refined and immersive future.