Leia (company)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Technology, 3D imaging, Display technology, Holography |
| Founded | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Menlo Park , United States |
Area served | United States, Mexico, global (implied) |
Key people | David Fattal (CEO) |
| Products | 3D Lightfield technologies, LeiaLoft content ecosystem, Lume Pad tablet |
Leia Inc. is a United States-based enterprise focused on the development of 3D Lightfield technologies and associated software solutions.
With its main office located in Menlo Park, California, Leia maintains a nano-fabrication facility in Palo Alto, California, creative content teams situated in Los Angeles and Auckland, New Zealand, as well as an industrialization hub in Suzhou, China.
History
Established in 2014 as a spin-off from HP Labs, Leia’s pioneering research on holographic display technology was initially documented in Nature during 2013. CEO David Fattal emphasized the diffraction-based display system’s benefits compared to alternative mobile 3D technologies, such as enabling multiple viewers simultaneously, preserving full resolution in standard 2D mode, and requiring minimal computational eye-tracking. The company aimed its innovations at sectors including mobile devices, automotive industries, and healthcare.
In May 2016, Leia formed a partnership with Altice to bring smartphones embedded with its technology to market. The following year, Red Digital Cinema revealed intentions to manufacture the premium Red Hydrogen One smartphone incorporating Leia’s lightfield display innovation. This alliance also involved investment from Red and the appointment of Red founder Jim Jannard to Leia’s board of directors.
Leia introduced its lightfield content ecosystem, LeiaLoft™, in 2018. This platform includes an Android App Store and developer portal designed to foster growth within the ecosystem.
The Red Hydrogen smartphone launched in the United States on November 2, 2018, supported by carriers such as AT&T and Verizon, with subsequent availability extended to Mexico via Telcel.
In July 2019, Leia collaborated with Continental to investigate the application of lightfield displays within automotive environments.
The year 2020 saw Leia release the Lume Pad, a 10.8-inch Android tablet featuring a switchable lightfield display aimed at education, healthcare, retail, and hospitality markets. The Lume Pad received recognition at CES 2021 with awards in both Computer Hardware & Components and Digital Imaging & Photography categories.
A consumer version of the Lume Pad was launched in 2021 and was included in Amazon’s Launchpad initiative.