Scantinel Photonics Raises $10.5M Series A: Week in Brief: 12/02/22

Scantinel Photonics, a startup developing next-generation lidar technology for mobility and industrial applications, secured a €10 million ($10.5 million) extended series A funding round. The round was backed by PhotonDelta and current investors Scania Growth Capital and ZEISS Ventures. Scantinel will use the funding to roll out its frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) lidar devices to customers.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Ocean Insight acquired technology from Rigaku Analytical Devices that uses light to assess scrap aluminum quickly and efficiently for recycling purposes. Combining its laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS)-based SpeedSorter high-speed aluminum-sorting technology with the Rigaku Analytical Devices hand-held LIBS units, Ocean Insight’s customers gain increased flexibility when evaluating aluminum, regardless of environment or alloy grade, according to the company.

BOULDER, Colo. — Quantum computing technology ColdQuanta launched Infleqtion, a company devoted to the commercial quantum market. Infleqtion will build an ecosystem of quantum technologies and commercial products.

HOPEWELL JUNCTION, N.Y. — Spectral Systems is expanding into an adjacent building that will expand the company’s footprint of 14,000 sq ft to 21,000 sq ft. Spectral Systems provides flat and curved infrared optics design and manufacturing, as well as end-to-end support with custom coatings and subsystem assembly for start-to-finish production.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Optica Foundation issued details on the health care work being funded by its 20th Anniversary Challenge. The research will address the potential of differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, accessibility and portability of OCT, and applicability of synthetic wavelength holography (SWH), a method to image through light-scattering materials such as human skin.

CANBERRA, Australia — Electro Optic Systems’ U.S. subsidiary, EOS Defense Systems, was awarded two contracts with the Office of Space Commerce at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The first contract will provide commercial satellite laser-ranging data for NOAA’s Open Architecture Data Repository. The second contract calls to provide passive electro-optical observations.

Satellite laser ranging at the EOS Space Systems Mount Stromlo Space Research Centre in Canberra, Australia. Courtesy of EOS.

HUDSON, N.H. — BAE Systems completed additional ground-to-air test firings to prove the effectiveness of 70-mm rockets guided by APKWS laser guidance kits against class 2 unmanned aerial systems that weigh roughly 25 to 50 lbs and can travel at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour. During the demonstration, five APKWS-guided counter-UAS rockets were fired from a containerized weapon system and destroyed all targets, including fast-moving drones. The 70-mm rockets can destroy class 2 aerial drones by combining standard motors and warheads with APKWS guidance kits and proven proximity/point-detonation fuses. The resulting precision munition is a low-cost, supersonic, lock-on-after-launch strike weapon with a large 10-lb warhead that can destroy large drones in a matter of seconds with or without direct contact.

70-mm rockets guided by BAE Systems’ APKWS guidance kits went five for five against agile, high-speed class 2 drones in testing. Courtesy of BAE Systems.

BATH, England — Researchers from the University of Bath’s Centre for Photonics and Photonic Materials (CPPM) and British Telecom’s (BT’s) global research and development center will undertake a joint project focusing on highly specialized research and development in the use of hollow-core optical fiber. The BT-funded collaborative project will harness the knowledge and expertise of the university’s academics working within the CPPM, using the research-grade optical fiber fabrication facility and photonics laboratories.

MUNICH — Rivada Space Networks GmbH, a European network company launching a constellation of 600 low-Earth-orbit satellites to enable secure, global connectivity for governments and enterprises, joined the Global Satellite Operators Association (GSOA). By connecting its satellites with lasers, Rivada aims to enable resellers and business-to-business customers to securely connect any two points on the globe with low latency and high bandwidth. GSOA is recognized as the representative body for satellite operators by international, regional, and national bodies. It provides a platform for collaboration between satellite operators globally and a unified voice for the sector.

REDMOND, Wash. — MicroVision Inc., a developer and provider of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based solid-state automotive lidar and advanced driver-assistance systems solutions, will acquire certain assets from Ibeo Automotive Systems GmbH, a provider of lidar hardware and software, for up to €15 million ($15.8 million). The combined company is expected to have revenue streams from existing and new product lines such as software, Ibeo’s flash-based lidar, MicroVision’s scanning lidar sensor, and other combinations of hardware with perception software solutions. The acquisition expands MicroVision’s multimarket strategy focusing on industrial, smart infrastructure, robotics, and commercial vehicle segments with Ibeo’s flash-based sensor.

ZEUTHEN, Germany — A terahertz free-electron laser that could pave the way for new research in a variety of scientific fields — from the study of quantum materials to investigations into biomolecules — was opened at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) site in Zeuthen, Germany. The laser generated its first light earlier this year, charts a course for researchers to develop and install a similar terahertz free-electron laser at the at the European X-Ray Free Electron Laser facility (XFEL), and ultimately supports the potential to conduct new experiments that combine the long wavelength THz radiation with the European XFEL’s high-energy short-wavelength x-ray radiation.

TOKYO — AEye Inc., Owl Autonomous Imaging (Owl AI), and GPR will present solutions in automotive sensing and transportation technologies at a briefing for Japanese automotive industry executives on Tuesday, Dec. 6. The session is to be hosted by Ambassador Rahm Emanuel at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo. The event highlights the technology developed by the companies and the automotive trade relationship between the U.S. and Japan.

JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — NewSight Reality, a developer of next-generation augmented reality (AR) technologies, reported its demonstration of AR through its proprietary transparent optical module (TOM). According to the company, the demonstration is the first time AR has been achieved through a see-through near-eye display, and it represents a milestone toward enabling mass adoption of next-generation AR products and solutions. TOM bypasses for traditional optical combiners, replacing the light engine and optical engine with a single, multilayer, hermetically sealed transparent module. TOM achieves over 80% transparency and high light efficiency from the module’s direct transparent display, which is in close proximity to the eyes to enable low power consumption and daylight operation versus projection and/or waveguide-based light transmission and complex optics.

LAKE MARY, Fla. — FARO Technologies Inc., a provider of 4D digital reality solutions, acquired SiteScape, a provider of lidar 3D scanning software solutions for the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations and maintenance markets. SiteScape enables lidar-equipped mobile devices to capture indoor spaces digitally, providing a readily available entry point to scanning physical spaces for a broad range of applications.

BOSTON — Medical device company New View Surgical closed a $12.1 million series B-1 equity financing round to fund the commercialization of its VisionPort System, which the company plans to launch in the U.S. before the end of 2022. The surgical imaging and access system simplifies laparoscopic procedures by reducing the need for a separate camera port and camera holder, thereby reducing the need for a separate surgical team member to hold and manage a laparoscope. The system is intended to be used in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures within the thoracic and abdominal cavities, and it is adaptable to surgical environments.