Wearables Fans Rejoice: New High-content Silicon Oxide-Carbon
Technology Doubles Capacity enabling a New Generation of Smaller,
Lighter and Longer-Lasting Wearables
Kopin Corporation (NASDAQ:KOPN) announced today that it has entered into
an agreement with Hitachi Maxell, Ltd. to produce and market new
high-capacity lithium-ion batteries
for use in head-worn wearable products based on silicon oxide with
carbon (SiO-C) in the anode. The new technology doubles the capacity for
a given battery volume compared to today’s conventional lithium-ion
batteries.*
This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160104005497/en/
Dr. Hong Choi, chief technology officer at Kopin Corporation, holds a new SiMax™ battery which doubles the capacity of conventional lithium-batteries. Developed with Hitachi Maxell, the new battery technology makes it possible to build smaller, lighter and longer lasting wearables. Launched on January 4, 2016, Westborough, MA, the battery will be on display at CES®2016. (John Mottern/Feature Photo Service for Kopin Corporation) More info: Linsey McNew 512-693-4877 LMcNew@wcgworld.com
Under the terms of the agreement, Kopin will exclusively market the
batteries to OEM customers under the brand name SiMax™ for use in
head-worn wearable products. The first SiMax battery measures just
46×10.5×5.5mm with 400 mAh capacity and will be shown at CES®2016.
Initial production will begin in the second quarter of 2016 and the
batteries will be used in Kopin’s Solos™ cycling eyewear product.
Conventional Li-ion battery capacity has been increasing only gradually
in recent years. The result has been a widening mismatch between what
we’d like to do with mobile and wearable devices and what we can
do. Now, the higher capacity, smaller and lighter SiMax batteries will
close this gap and enable the performance and product designs that
consumers require for wearable products and head-worn systems.
“We are pleased to be partnering with Kopin to commercialize the
high-SiO-C-content battery technology, which provides unprecedented
capacity in small form factors,” said Masao Okafuji, chief technology
officer of Hitachi Maxell. “While it has been well known that the use of
high-SiO-C-content anode can provide several times the energy density
than the graphite anode used in today’s Li-ion cells, until now serious
technical challenges prevented its use. We have now overcome these
technical challenges and are ready to commercialize the first batteries
using this new technology.”
“Our collaboration with Hitachi Maxell represents a leap forward in
battery technology and the wearables market,” said Dr. John C.C. Fan,
president and CEO of Kopin. “Wearables will only reach their potential
if the technologies inside them can support the best possible user
experience. Smaller, longer-lasting, lighter batteries are a critical
building block for the success of wearables, in addition to compact
displays that provide large, high-resolution images and speech
enhancement technology that provides reliable communication in all noise
environments. Kopin, along with its partners, is leading the industry to
develop and deliver these technologies that will propel the wearables
market forward.”
The markets and applications for wearable computing devices are growing
rapidly in areas such as sports, healthcare, manufacturing, warehousing,
gaming, drone racing and others. In all of these applications, small
battery size and weight, and long run-time are critical factors for user
satisfaction. The SiMax technology will enable significant improvements
in product design and performance for all of these applications.
The first SiMax battery will be debuted at Kopin’s exclusive VIP
reception – Wearables: The Missing Pieces – at Kopin’s suite at the
Venetian during CES. Additional information is available at events@kopin.com
*Twice the energy density compared with conventional
lithium-ion batteries: Research by Hitachi Maxell (November 2015).
Compared with lithium-ion batteries with width under 13mm presented on
websites of each company.
Editors’ Note: Photos are available via the Associated Press
Photo Network and on the Internet at Feature Photo Service’s link
through http://www.newscom.com
About Kopin
Kopin Corporation is a leading developer of innovative wearable
computing technologies and solutions. Kopin’s technology portfolio
includes ultra-small displays, optics, speech enhancement technology,
software, low-power ASICs, and ergonomically designed smart headset
concept systems. Kopin’s proprietary components and technology are
protected by more than 300 global patents and patents pending, with more
than 95% related to wearable technologies. For more information, please
visit Kopin’s website at www.kopin.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release may be considered “forward-looking”
statements under the “Safe Harbor” provisions of the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include, without limitation,
statements relating to our expectation thatKopin and Hitachi
Maxell, Ltd. willproduce and market new high-capacity
lithium-ion batteries
for use in head-worn wearable products based on silicon oxide with
carbon (SiO-C) in the anode; Kopin will exclusively market the
batteries to OEM customers under the brand name SiMax™ for use in
head-worn wearable products; the first SiMax batteries will be shown at CES®2016;
Initial production will begin in the second quarter of 2016; the
batteries will be used in Kopin’s Solos™ cycling eyewear product; the
higher capacity, smaller and lighter SiMax batteries will close this gap
and enable the performance and product designs that consumers require
for wearable products and head-worn systems; our belief Kopin, along
with its partners, is leading the industry to develop and deliver these
technologies and will propel the wearables market forward; our belief
thatthe markets and applications for wearable computing devices
are growing rapidly in areas such as sports, healthcare, manufacturing,
warehousing, gaming, drone racing and others; our belief thatthe
SiMax technology will enable significant improvements in product design
and performance for all of these applications; and the first SiMax
battery will be debuted at Kopin’s exclusive VIP reception – Wearables:
The Missing Pieces – at Kopin’s suite at the Venetian during CES. These
statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the
forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but
are not limited to, the following: Kopin and Hitachi Maxell, Ltd. may
decide not to produce and market new high-capacity lithium-ion batteries
for use in head-worn wearable products based on silicon oxide with
carbon (SiO-C) in the anode; Kopin may decide not to market the
batteries to OEM customers; the first SiMax batteries will not be ready
to be shown at CES®2016;
initial production will not begin in the second quarter of 2016; the
batteries are not used in Kopin’s Solos™ cycling eyewear product; andKopin, along with its partners, may be unable to develop and deliver
the technologies and needed to propel the wearables market forward;the
markets and applications for wearable computing devices may not grow;
the SiMax technology may not enable significant improvements in product
design and performance; it may take longer than the Company estimates to
develop products; the batteries and the Company’s other products may
not be accepted by the market place; there may be issues that prevent
the adoption or further development of the batteries and the Company’s
other wearable computing technologies; manufacturing,
marketing or other issues may prevent either the adoption or acceptance
of products; and other risk factors and cautionary statements listed in
the Company’s periodic reports and registration statements filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the 12 months ended December 27, 2014, and the Company’s
subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You
should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which
are based only on information currently available to the Company and
only as of the date on which they are made. The Company undertakes no
obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements to reflect
events or circumstances occurring after the date of this report.
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160104005497/en/
Press:
WCG
Linsey McNew, 512-693-4877
LMcNew@wcgworld.com
or
Investors:
Kopin
Investor Relations
Richard Sneider, 508-870-5959
CFO
rsneider@kopin.com
or
Kopin
Investor Relations
Market Street Partners
JoAnn
Horne, 415-445-3233
JHorne@marletstreetpartners.com