The News

Varioptic to demonstrate the world's first liquid zoom lens for camera phones at Cebit

16/03/2005

Hanover, Germany – March 9, 2005: Varioptic, the liquid lens company, today announced that it will demonstrate the world’s first zoom and auto focus liquid lens for camera phones, March 10-16, in Hall 11, booth F24/1 at the CeBIT electronics trade show.
Varioptic, the inventor of the liquid lens, has been working with Samsung Electro-Mechanics to provide auto focus liquid lenses for camera phones, which will be commercially available by the last quarter of this year. Varioptic is now extending its patented and revolutionary “electrowetting technology” to deliver the world’s first liquid zoom lens, which will be demonstrated this week at CeBIT.
“Because our liquid lens has no moving parts, it’s extremely durable, and tailor-made for camera phone environments, where battery power and physical space are limited,” said Etienne Paillard, CEO of Varioptic. “This week we’ll demonstrate how a combination of our liquid lenses can eventually provide a continuous 2.5X zoom capability, in a package that will be less than half the size of conventional zoom lens offerings.”
Varioptic’s liquid lenses act similarly to the human eye, in that they can change shape, to zoom or focus automatically, without mechanical aid. The company’s patented electrowetting technology uses electricity to distend or flatten two drops of liquid, to alter the border between the liquids, and focus the lens. Varioptic’s newly demonstrated zoom capabilities combine multiple liquid lenses, with a driver, sensor and image processor to address magnification, change focus and control aberrations. Both Varioptic’s Zoom and auto-focus liquid lenses share the same market advantages, in terms of size, cost, speed,energy consumption, durability, and quality.
To see the world premier of the zoom liquid lens, visit Varioptic at CeBIT, in Hall 11, Booth F24/1, from March 10-16, or simply visit http://www.varioptic.com/ for more details. Demonstrations of the auto focus liquid lens camera will also be shown at CeBIT by Varioptic and by Samsung Electro-Mechanics, in Hall 11, Booth B24.

About Varioptic:
Founded in 2002, Varioptic pioneers the development of Electrowetting Technology for revolutionary Auto Focus lenses and Zooms with absolutely no moving parts. These products feature several crucial advantages versus traditional technologies in terms of cost, dimensions, power consumption and speed. Varioptic maintains its technology leadership thanks to its heavy investment in R&D. Varioptic is located in Lyon (France) and headed by Etienne Paillard, CEO and founder and inventor Bruno Berge (CTO).

Media contacts :
Isabelle Jourdain - France
+33 6 87 71 20 95
isabelle@ts2c.com
Todd Keefe – FIRPR - US
+1 617-262-1968
todd@firpr.com
CEC GmbH - Franz Miltenberger
mobil: +49 178 - 25 23 773
f.miltenberger@ceuroc.com
Hall 11
Stand F24/1