Type Private Website light.co | Area served Global Founded 2013 | |
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Industry Mobile digital photography Headquarters Palo Alto, California, U.S. Products Multi-lens camera for smartphones Founders Rajiv Laroia, Dave Grannan | ||
Light is an American digital photography company that has devised a multi-lens and multi-sensor camera that is eventually planned for embedding in smartphones and mobile devices. Its announced product, the L16, is a standalone version with 16 camera modules. The technology is said to be comparable to the quality of DSLR cameras but in a smaller form factor. It plans to eventually provide mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets with higher-quality photo capabilities and true optical zoom. Light recently entered into a deal with smartphone manufacturer, Foxconn, to allow them to sell products that include Light's technology.
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History
Light was founded in 2013 by Dave Grannan (CEO) and Rajiv Laroia (CTO) in Palo Alto, California. In June 2014, the company received $9.7 million in Series A funding from an investor group including Bessemer Venture Partners, CRV, and Qualcomm executive chairman, Paul E. Jacobs. Jacobs also joined Light's board of directors per the agreements of his investment deal.
By April 2015, the company was working on a 52-megapixel prototype that could zoom without pixelation, alter depth of field, and capture images in low light with limited image noise. In July 2015, the company received an additional $25 million in a second round of funding led by investment firm Formation 8. Other investors included Bessemer Venture Partners, CRV, StepStone Group, Foxconn's FIH Mobile, Sanjay Jha of GlobalFoundries, and CrunchFund. Their total funding at that point increased to $34.7 million. Light also entered into an agreement with Foxconn to allow the mobile phone manufacturer to use its technology. Light's technology is slated to begin appearing in mobile devices by 2016.
Technology
Light prototypes have so far involved the use of numerous cameras to achieve higher quality images from mobile devices. One prototype contains 16 camera modules, all of which capture the image simultaneously. Each of the modules corresponds to an equivalent focal length (five at 35mm, five at 70mm, and six at 150mm). Software then interprets lighting conditions and object distance to provide overall improvements to the image. The multi-focal-length design, along with mirrors capable of aiming the 70mm and 150mm lenses allows users to employ clear optical zoom for photos and videos, which the company says will occur without pixelation. The technology requires no additional hardware and can be built directly into mobile devices. The cameras can produce up to 52-megapixel images. Light technology is expected to appear in smartphones by 2016. Light announced a standalone camera, the L16, as a product in October, 2015, saying it expects to ship it in the spring of 2017.