Exclusive: Eyeo steps out of stealth mode to offer cameras human-like color perception.

      Dutch startup Eyeo has come out of stealth mode with €15 million in funding to further a groundbreaking photonics technology for cameras that could significantly change the way images are captured. Eyeo was established last year as a spin-off from Belgium’s Imec, a leading centre in nanoelectronics. The startup’s waveguide colour-splitting technology, an optical method that employs tiny structures to direct and separate light by its wavelength, triples the light sensitivity of the best existing image sensors.

      Eyeo’s sensors enable various types of cameras, including DSLRs, smartphones, and virtual reality headsets, to produce brighter and clearer images, particularly in low-light environments. The technology also allows cameras to perceive colour similarly to how human eyes do, offering “unprecedented” colour fidelity, according to Eyeo.

      Jeroen Hoet, CEO of the Eindhoven-based company, referred to these results as a “new standard for the future of imaging.”

      Currently, most cameras (like those in smartphones) utilize colour filters—tiny red, green, and blue layers—over each pixel to create colour images. However, these filters block more than 70% of incoming light, resulting in significant light loss, especially in dim conditions. Such filters also restrict how small pixels can be, thereby affecting the compactness and resolution of the camera.

      In contrast to using filters that obstruct light, Eyeo's technology employs tiny waveguides to split photons, directing each colour of light straight to the appropriate pixel. This innovation allows sensors to capture all incoming light and permits the creation of minuscule pixels, smaller than half a micron (1/1000mm) in size.

      This leads to a sensor capable of processing substantially more light, effectively doubling the resolution of a camera utilizing a chip of the same dimension.

      “Eyeo is fundamentally redefining image sensing by eliminating limitations that have persisted for decades,” stated Hoet. “This technology opens the door to entirely new applications in imaging, including ultra-compact sensors, enhanced low-light performance, ultra-high resolution, and optimal image quality.”

      Potential applications are vast and could include ultra-slim smartphones with excellent camera capabilities, smaller, higher-resolution AR and VR headsets, security cameras that capture more reliable footage, and lightweight camera drones.

      Eyeo claims it has already formed partnerships with “leading image sensor manufacturers and foundries” to commercialize its technology. With the new funding, the company plans to enhance its current camera sensor designs and aims to provide its first evaluation kits to customers within two years. These kits will allow potential customers to test and explore the technology prior to mass production readiness.

      Imec’s venture branch, Imec.xpand, co-led the funding round with Invest-NL, with additional contributions from QBIC fund, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), and Brabant Development Agency (BOM).

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