On September 17th, Cellid Inc., and SB C&S Corp. announced a business partnership. Cellid is a company headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, that develops displays and spatial recognition engines for AR glasses. SB C&S is part of the SoftBank Group and has taken over the IT distribution business.
According to both companies, AR glasses are moving from the proof-of-concept phase to market launch. In Japan, both corporate and individual users have begun using them. For widespread adoption, not only device performance but also a support system is needed to assist with everything from product development and sales to post-implementation support.
In this partnership, Cellid will be responsible for designing and providing reference designs, as well as offering technical support. The design integrates a wide-angle waveguide, display module, optical engine, proprietary software technology, housing and mechanical design, and an SDK for developers. This streamlines the design and verification processes that manufacturers typically perform individually, facilitating faster and lower-cost product development. (*Reference design: A verification model used by device manufacturers to commercialize AR glasses. SDK stands for Software Development Kit.)
SB C&S, on the other hand, will be responsible for sales and implementation. They plan to procure products utilizing Cellid’s reference design and sell them through sales partners nationwide. They will also be responsible for proposals and implementation support for both corporate and consumer clients, providing support systems, and planning and executing marketing strategies.
Shirakami Ken, CEO of Cellid, expressed the view that AR glasses have the potential to become a next-generation computing platform that overlays necessary information onto the real world. He also stated that widespread adoption requires not only technology but also a system that connects product development, sales, and implementation support. The company explained that it aims to leverage the knowledge gained from this initiative to expand into the global market in the future.
Suzuki Jun, Managing Senior Officer Executive and Head of Business Consumer at SB C&S, positioned AR glasses as a next-generation device. He commented that they will combine Cellid’s technology with a nationwide network of sales partners to deliver value to a wide range of customers.
Going forward, the two companies will combine Cellid’s technology with SB C&S’s distribution infrastructure to promote the market introduction and widespread adoption of AR glasses.
This article is an English translation of an original Japanese article, translated by the Mogura VR editorial team.
Reference
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000069.000030718.html
