Cellid
More actions
| Cellid | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Industry | Augmented Reality |
| Founded | October 2016 |
| Founder | Satoshi Shiraga |
| Headquarters | Minato, Tokyo, Japan |
| Notable Personnel | Satoshi Shiraga (CEO) |
| Products | Waveguides for AR glasses, AR glasses reference designs, Cellid SLAM |
| Website | https://cellid.com/en |
Cellid (Cellid Inc., Japanese: Cellid株式会社) is a Japanese company in Minato, Tokyo, that develops waveguide displays and spatial recognition software for augmented reality glasses. It was founded in October 2016, and its chief executive is Satoshi Shiraga.[1][2] Cellid makes optical see-through waveguides of the diffractive optical element (DOE) type in both glass and plastic, builds AR glasses reference designs on them, and sells a camera-based tracking engine called Cellid SLAM.[3][4]
The company's plastic full-color waveguide, Plastic Waveguide G1, received the Society for Information Display's Display Component of the Year award in 2024.[5] Cellid waveguides have been used in smart glasses from Pegatron and Jorjin Technologies.[6][3] In September 2026 it announced a partnership with Japanese eyewear retailer Megane Top to sell AR glasses under Megane Top's brand, with crowdfunding pre-orders scheduled to open on 23 October 2026.[7]
History
Founding and early work
Shiraga studied particle physics at university and worked on accelerator experiments at a research institute in Switzerland, including the project that searched for the Higgs boson. In a recruiting interview he said he founded Cellid, in October 2016, to put high-performance computers and algorithms to practical use in society.[8] The company first built an image recognition engine and extended it to three-dimensional spatial recognition, which became the basis of Cellid SLAM. While studying AR glasses as a platform for that software, it concluded that the display was the main bottleneck and began developing display modules.[8]
In January 2021, Mogura VR reported that Cellid had developed a small projector for AR glasses, made up of a display module and a waveguide, with a 60-degree field of view. The company said it planned to produce prototypes in the first quarter of 2021 and aimed for mass production within the year.[9] In October 2021 Cellid and the construction company Obayashi used Cellid SLAM to estimate the 3D positions of workers from helmet-mounted camera video and fed those positions into Obayashi's construction digital twin in real time.[2] In November 2021 it raised 500 million yen from three investors, including AXA Life Insurance and EPCO, bringing its total funding to about 700 million yen.[10]
Waveguide products and awards
At CES 2024 in January, Cellid showed AR glasses demos with a plastic full-color waveguide that it described as the first mass-producible one, with a 30-degree field of view, together with a glass waveguide with a 60-degree field of view. Shiraga said the plastic type was aimed at notifications, translation and directions, and the glass type at higher-end imaging and AR use.[11] In May 2024 the Society for Information Display named "Cellid: Plastic Waveguide G1 for lightweight AR displays" its Display Component of the Year. The SID citation describes the G1 as a full-color DOE waveguide made of engineered plastic using Cellid's own nanostructure and coating technology, and notes that plastic DOE waveguides had until then usually been limited to monochrome green.[5][1]
In November 2024 Cellid released a reference design, an evaluation model of glasses-style AR glasses built around its waveguide, which weighs about 58 grams. It has an 8-megapixel camera and a 3-axis IMU, connects to Android and Windows devices, and comes with an SDK that includes a generative AI API. At the same time the company opened a business development partner program and an OEM program for companies that want to build their own branded AR glasses from the reference design.[12]
Funding
| Announced | Round | Amount | Investors named | Cumulative total stated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2021 | Not stated | 500 million yen | Three investors including AXA Life Insurance and EPCO | About 700 million yen[10] |
| February 2025 | Private placement and third-party allotment | 2 billion yen (US$13 million) | Development Bank of Japan (lead), More Management, KVIF-I Limited Partnership (Kyocera and Global Brain CVC fund), 15th Rock, FFG Venture Business Partners | About 5.2 billion yen (about US$33 million)[13] |
| April 2025 | Series C extension | About 1.1 billion yen (over US$7.5 million) | SBI Investment, IMM Investment Japan, IMM Investment Corp. | 6.4 billion yen[14] |
Cellid said the 2025 funding would go toward its waveguide and micro projector lineup, reference designs, mass production capacity and hiring.[13][14]
Products
| Product | Type | Announced | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small projector for AR glasses | Display module and waveguide | January 2021 | 60-degree field of view[9] |
| Plastic Waveguide G1 | Plastic full-color DOE waveguide | By May 2024 | SID Display Component of the Year 2024[5] |
| R30-FL | Plastic waveguide | By February 2025 | 30-degree diagonal field of view, 3.2 g, 1.24 mm thick[15] |
| C60-AG | Glass waveguide | By February 2025 | 60-degree field of view[15] |
| R30-FL (C) | Plastic waveguide | June 2025 | About twice the brightness of its predecessor, per Cellid[16] |
| C30-AG (C) | Glass waveguide | June 2025 | More than three times the brightness of the previous model, per Cellid[16] |
| AR glasses reference design | Evaluation AR glasses | November 2024 | About 58 g, 8 MP camera, 3-axis IMU, SDK with generative AI API[12] |
| Green monochrome reference design | Evaluation AR glasses | December 2025 | Plastic waveguide, 640 x 480 green display, Alif E7 processor, 5 MP camera[4] |
| Full-color reference design | Evaluation AR glasses | December 2025 | Glass waveguide, 500 x 380 RGB display, Qualcomm AR1 with GX8002, 12 MP camera, Wi-Fi 7[4] |
| Cellid Precision Fit Lenses | Prescription lenses for AR glasses | By May 2025 | Diopter correction lenses that can be fitted at conventional optical shops[6] |
| Cellid SLAM | Spatial recognition software | By 2021 | Camera-based position estimation[2] |
The two December 2025 reference designs are both binocular, with a 30-degree field of view and MicroLED projectors that Cellid rates at up to 3,000 nits. Auganix reported that the green model uses Cellid's newly mass-produced plastic waveguide and that the full-color model was scheduled to become available in January 2026.[4] With the June 2025 waveguides, Cellid also announced software that measures a display's color unevenness and distortion and corrects them in real time.[16]
Partner devices
| Device | Maker | Shown | Cellid's role | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Verge 2 AR Smart Glasses | Pegatron | COMPUTEX 2025, Taipei | Waveguide supplier | 45 g, Qualcomm AR1 platform[6] |
| HJ1 AI Smart Glasses | Jorjin Technologies (Foxconn group), with General Interface Solution (GIS) | CES 2026 | Waveguide supplier | About 46 g, sRGB Micro-LED display up to 2,000 nits, 85% transmittance, built-in eye tracking[17] |
| J9 | Jorjin Technologies | April 2026 (public announcement planned for Q2 2026) | Waveguide supplier and authorized distributor in Japan | Full-color 500 x 380 display, 25-degree field of view, gaze-controlled interface, 13 MP camera[3] |
| LinseDisplay | Megane Top | Pre-orders from 23 October 2026 (planned) | Product development lead, optics and hardware | Navigation, notifications, translation, captions, AI meeting notes[18] |
Megane Top partnership
On 25 September 2026 Cellid and Megane Top, an eyewear retailer based in Shizuoka that operates the Megane Ichiba chain, announced that they would develop and sell AR glasses under Megane Top's own brand. Cellid supplies optics, hardware and product design, and Megane Top supplies eyewear product development, sales know-how and its store network, which it gave as 1,036 stores in Japan and 35 overseas as of 31 March 2026. Pre-orders were scheduled to open through the crowdfunding platform GREEN FUNDING on 23 October 2026, followed by sales in Megane Top stores after the campaign.[7]
Megane Ichiba's product page names the glasses LinseDisplay (Auganix writes it as "Linse Display") and lists navigation, notifications, foreign-language translation, live captions, which Auganix describes as including AI meeting notes and summaries, and entertainment such as music. The page says its images show a product still in development, and as of October 2026 it lists no price, weight or display specifications.[18][19]
Research and field trials
In December 2024 Cellid announced that it had joined a medical AR glasses research project with the Institute of Science Tokyo and Mitsui Chemicals, selected under the Japan Science and Technology Agency's fiscal 2024 CREST program. The project, on medical AR glasses using metamaterial technology, runs from fiscal 2024 to fiscal 2029 with research funding of 299 million yen. Cellid is responsible for AR glasses design and implementation, software and trials, while Mitsui Chemicals develops optical plastic lens materials.[20]
Under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's King Salmon Project, Cellid tested its AR glasses with Shibuya City for remote supervision at public construction sites.[21] The trial covered five sessions at four sites. Experienced staff gave instructions and supervised work remotely, and the glasses displayed order details such as product model numbers, specifications and quantities for checking delivered materials. Cellid reported that the approach could save 1.4 hours including travel time, estimated annual savings of 425 to 638 hours, and also noted problems with display visibility, operability and variable network quality.[22]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 ""Cellid's Plastic G1 AR Waveguide" awarded "2024 Display Component of the Year Award" by the Society of Information Display (SID)". TechNode Global (PR Newswire). 2024-05-13. https://technode.global/?p=79132. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "デジタルツインに3次元位置情報をリアルタイムで反映、Cellidと大林組". Mogura VR News. 2021-10-05. https://www.moguravr.com/cellid-obayashi-digital-twin/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Cellid Supplies Latest Waveguide for Jorjin Technologies' Next-Generation AI Smart Glasses "J9"". Taiwan News (PR Newswire). 2026-04-27. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6349046. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Cellid Unveils New AR Glasses Reference Designs for 2026". Auganix. 2025-12-04. https://www.auganix.org/?p=17917. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "Display Industry Awards". Society for Information Display. https://sid.org/Awards/Display-Industry-Awards. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Jean-Pierre Joosting (2025-05-22). "Cellid and Pegatron collaborate on AR smart glasses". eeNews Europe. https://www.eenewseurope.com/en/cellid-and-pegatron-collaborate-on-ar-smart-glasses. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Cellid and Megane Top Partner to Commercialize and Expand the AR Glasses Business". Taiwan News (PR Newswire). 2026-09-25. https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/news/6446764. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Cellid株式会社の社員インタビュー". Green. https://www.green-japan.com/company/9274/interview. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "日本のスタートアップからARグラス基礎技術 Celidが視野角60度の小型プロジェクター開発". Mogura VR News. 2021-01-15. https://www.moguravr.com/cellid-small-projector-for-ar-glasses/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "ARグラス関連技術のCellidが5億円を調達、量産に向けて体制強化へ". Mogura VR News. 2021-11-16. https://www.moguravr.com/cellid/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ "Debut of AR glasses with plastic full-colour waveguide". Electronic Specifier. 2024-01-09. https://electronicspecifier.com/vr-ar/debut-of-ar-glasses-demo-with-plastic-full-colour-waveguide. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "日本発・AR要素技術のCellid、58gの軽量なARグラスのリファレンスデザインを発表". Mogura VR News. 2024-11-21. https://www.moguravr.com/cellid-ar-glasses-reference-design/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Cellid Raises $13 Million to Advance AR Glasses Display Development". PR Newswire. 2025-02-07. https://prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/cellid-raises-13-million-to-advance-ar-glasses-display-development-302371119.html. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 "AR Display Developer Cellid Raises $7.5M to Scale Waveguide Production". Auganix. 2025-04-22. https://www.auganix.org/?p=17056. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Cellid Raises 2 Billion Yen to Strengthen AR Glass Display Development". BRIDGE. 2025-02-17. https://thebridge.jp/en/2025/02/cellid-raises-2-billion-yen-to-enhance-ar-glasses-display-development. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 "Cellid Expands AR Glasses Product Line with Two New Waveguides". TechNode Global (PR Newswire). 2025-06-10. https://technode.global/prnasia/cellid-expands-ar-glasses-product-line-with-two-new-waveguides/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ "Cellid、次世代ARグラス「HJ1 AI Smart Glasses」をCES 2026で展示". TechnoEdge (PR TIMES). 2026-01-08. https://www.techno-edge.net/release/prtimes2/20260108/22513.html. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "LinseDisplay 2026年10月クラウドファンディング開始予定". Megane Ichiba. Megane Top. https://www.meganeichiba.jp/smartglasses/linsedisplay/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ Sam Sprigg (2026-10-06). "Cellid Partners With Megane Top to Commercialize AR Glasses". Auganix. https://www.auganix.org/ar-news-cellid-megane-top-ar-glasses-partnership/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ "Cellid、東京科学大学・三井化学と医療用に特化したARグラスを研究・開発へ". Mogura VR News. 2024-12-25. https://www.moguravr.com/cellid-medical-ar-glasses-development/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ "Cellid, Inc.". King Salmon Project. Tokyo Metropolitan Government. https://kingsalmon.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/en/company05/cellid.html. Retrieved 2026-10-14.
- ↑ "ARグラスで工事現場の人手不足は解消できる？ 渋谷区で実証実験". Mogura VR News. 2025-04-11. https://www.moguravr.com/cellid-ar-glasses-remote-support-shibuya/. Retrieved 2026-10-14.