vivo and ZEISS Expand Imaging Partnership: Week in Brief 08/29/25

Photonics.com
Aug 2025OBERKOCHEN, Germany, Aug. 29, 2025 — vivo and ZEISS renewed and expanded their global imaging partnership agreement. Per the updated partnership, the companies committed to exploring imaging product matrices that cover a wider range of scenarios beyond smartphone technology, and to establish a more comprehensive and open imaging ecosystem. vivo and ZEISS have collaborated formally since 2020.

Baishan Hu, executive vice president & COO at vivo, president of vivo Central Research Institute (left), and Andreas Pecher, president & CEO of the ZEISS Group. Courtesy of ZEISS.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Covalent Metrology acquired Materials Characterization Services (MAT-CS), an Austin, Texas-based analytical services supplier. MAT-CS will operate as "MAT-CS, a Covalent Metrology Company." Scott Baumann, MAT-CS's founder and majority owner, will join Covalent as vice president of lab partnerships and engagement, continuing to lead MAT-CS.

EndoUVTech’s UV light system featuring CeramOptec’s custom fiber. Courtesy of EndoUVTech.

EndoUVTech’s UV light system featuring CeramOptec’s custom fiber. Courtesy of EndoUVTech.

OAKLAND PARK, Fla. — EndoUVTech, a medical device company, and CeramOptec, a developer of optical fiber technologies, entered into a partnership. EndoUVTech’s system uses a UV laser, via a custom optical fiber cable and balloon catheter, to dissolve residual blood clots in the brain that remain after a mechanical thrombectomy. CeramOptec will provide fiber for EndoUVTech's system to trigger a natural photochemical reaction that reaches otherwise inaccessible distal clots. According to EndoUVTech, the company is on track to submit its lead device to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration later this year.

BOSTON — Ondas Holdings Inc., a provider of autonomous drone and private wireless solutions, entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a controlling 51% interest in Smart Precision Optics (SPO), a manufacturer of optical components and systems. Ondas will gain SPO’s experience in optics processing, optical coating, and optical manufacturing. SPO is a critical supplier to Israeli defense corporations, supporting systems such as missile defense systems, armored vehicles, and high-power weapons.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Medical Manufacturing Technologies (MMT), which creates medical device manufacturing solutions, acquired Innova Design, a developer and manufacturer of equipment for interventional medical device manufacturing. The acquisition of Innova’s laser bonder technology will complement MMT's existing technology, which includes hot box and split die bonding solutions.

LONG BEACH, Calif. — Rocket Lab, which specializes in launch services and space systems, is expanding its U.S. investments toward semiconductor manufacturing capacity and supply chain security for space-grade solar cells and electro-optical sensors for national security space missions. The Trump Administration will support these investments with a $23.9 million award through the Department of Commerce, part of the CHIPS and Science Act. With these investments, Rocket Lab aims to double the production capacity of compound semiconductors and space-grade solar cells, from 20,000 wafers to nearly 35,000 wafers per month.

TORONTO — POET announced that it will proceed with the voluntary delisting of its common shares from the TSX Venture Exchange. The company said it is delisting to create a central marketplace for its shares on Nasdaq to improve long-term liquidity and enhance shareholder value. The delisting from the TSXV will not affect the company's listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market: POET's shares will continue to be listed under the symbol "POET".

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Teledyne will acquire the TransponderTech business from Saab AB. The acquisition includes a portfolio of connected commercial maritime products, including automatic identification systems, VHF data exchange systems, and global navigation satellite system technologies. TransponderTech will become part of Teledyne FLIR’s Maritime group.

TERNITZ, Austria — SBO, a high-precision equipment company, acquire 3T Additive Manufacturing, a 3D metal printing company. SBO published the news in a report detailing its 2025 finances.

GOLETA, Calif. — Teledyne FLIR OEM, which specializes in thermal imaging innovation, collaborated with Japanese drone manufacturer ASCL, which becomes part of the Thermal by FLIR program. ASCL’s portfolio includes thermal cameras and drones for public safety, disaster response, inspection, and surveying applications. As part of the collaboration, ACSL’s SAMO thermal payload will incorporate FLIR’s multispectral dynamic imaging technology, which embosses visual data to deliver enhanced, detail-rich thermal imagery in real time.