Keynote Speakers

Augmented reality, rooted as the next paradigm in computing, already provides utility across industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and the public sector. As interest and technology continue to advance, user experience improves, and more applications are developed, AR provides the perfect example of easing collaboration and increasing efficiency. In this keynote session, Kevin Curtis will share four key advances that allowed commercialization of a large FoV high-quality display for immersive AR. This included a new projector architecture, a segmented dimmer, improved eye tracking for large 3D depth, and new eyepiece design and manufacturing technology. 

Kevin Curtis is the senior vice president, head of hardware at Magic Leap. He is responsible for the research, development, and productization of the hardware portion of the Magic Leap products. Prior to this, Curtis was chief scientist of illumination systems at RealD, working on laser projection and direct view for digital cinema. During the 10 years prior to joining RealD, he was the founder, CTO, and eventually CEO of InPhase Technologies, an optical data storage company. Curtis spun InPhase out of Bell Laboratories, where he was a member of the technical staff at Murray Hill, New Jersey. He has authored over 120 US patents, one book, and more than 100 presentations on optical systems, holography, projection systems, and lasers. Curtis received his BS, MS, and PhD in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Other interests include running, rock climbing, and triathlons.

This talk will examine how COVID impacted the display industry and how and when the display industry will return to growth. While many of the display industry’s largest markets are mature, there are a few examples of high-growth segments. In addition, in other more mature markets, there are opportunities for better performing displays to take share from entry level displays to help grow the market. Using DSCC’s latest market and technology data and insights, this presentation will provide a state of the industry, examining the outlook for display units and revenues by application, technology, supply/demand, equipment spending, and more. Which technology will win the OLED vs. miniLED battle? How will each technology evolve? How fast will microLEDs and micro-OLEDs grow? Are there opportunities for other display technologies to gain share? These and other questions will be answered in my talk.

Ross Young is the co-founder and CEO of DSCC. Previously, he started, ran, and sold DisplaySearch, which he launched with less than $500 in capital and grew to over $10 million in revenues. He has also worked throughout the display supply chain, including at a TV brand, a panel supplier, a materials supplier, and at multiple equipment suppliers. Shortly after completing graduate school at UCSD and Japan’s Tohoku University in international management, Young published a book on the semiconductor industry called Silicon Sumo: US-Japan Competition and Industrial Policy in the Semiconductor Equipment Industry, published by the University of Texas. He has completed 12 IRONMAN triathlons, including the World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, in 2016. You can find him on Twitter at @DSCCRoss where he shares the future of the display industry with over 36K followers. He can be reached via email at ross.young@displaysupplychain.com.

This talk will discuss Mike Wiemer’s experiences building and wearing the world’s first augmented-reality contact lens. It will describe an arc of innovation that started with the world’s most efficient solar cells and ultimately led to the world’s smallest microLED displays.

Mike Wiemer is a serial entrepreneur and proven science and technology leader. He is CTO and co-founder at Mojo Vision, a new commercial leader in microLED displays. Mojo Vision’s core display technology was incubated over an earlier eight-year period when the company built the world’s first augmented-reality contact lenses. Before Mojo Vision, Wiemer co-founded Solar Junction, a high-efficiency solar cell company (acquired), where he and his team set two world records for the highest efficiency solar cells ever made by humans. He also spent a year at New Enterprise Associates (NEA) as an Entrepreneur in Residence, where he sourced new investments and helped portfolio companies develop their business and funding strategies. Wiemer has a BS, MS, and PhD from Stanford University in electrical engineering.