Founded in 2002 in Lyon, France, Varioptic was acquired in May 2011 by Parrot. Varioptic is the manufacturer of the liquid lens technology which enables variable focus, variable tilt, or variable cylindrical lenses for compact cameras used in industrial or consumer devices. The main markets for the company today are barcode readers, medical devices, industrial cameras and defense.
Invenios has been working on improving Varioptic’s OIS lens with an enhanced, low cost and scalable design. This acquisition will streamline liquid lens development efforts, and enable broader market access with an extended product portfolio.
“We are very happy to have completed the acquisition of Varioptic” says Ray Karam, President of Invenios LLC, “combining the expertise of Varioptic and Invenios will further grow the Liquid Lens business, and permit us to access new markets; therefore, this acquisition is excellent news for Varioptic, Invenios, and for our customers.”
The Varioptic business, assets and employees, have been transferred to Invenios France SAS, a fully owned subsidiary of Invenios LLC. The Liquid Lens products will continue to be promoted under the Varioptic and Optilux brands.
The videos from Optilux website explain the elecrowetting principle used in the lens: Voltage variation induces a change in the contact angle of the fluid and creates a lens with the desired properties:
