Ceres Holographics used CES 2025 to showcase the capabilities of its transparent automotive display solutions. These are based on their Holographic Films coupled with a projection source to create a Heads-up Display for the driver or passengers. Their digital master approach enables the fabrication of large holographic films. Demos with multiple projector technologies and film sizes were shown along with future tech needed to reduce the HUD volume. Full video news report below.
Demo 1: Windshield HUD
- Uses three off-the-shelf Optoma projectors.
- The key component is Ceres’ holographic film, integrated into the windshield.
- The image appears at the plane of the windshield with a decent eyebox.
- Tilt can be adjusted either during design or via video/image warping.
- Ceres works with OEMs to optimize projector position, resolution, field of view, and windshield geometry.
- Digital mastering process:
- Each pixel (or “hogle”) is computed individually based on the line of sight from projector to eyebox.
- Exposed in a step-and-repeat process, unlike analog laser-based methods used by some competitors.
Partnership:
- Eastman supplies the production-ready windshield.
- They developed encapsulation chemistry for the interlayer stack, black coating, and lamination.
- The holographic optical element (HOE) is sandwiched between two glass layers, laminated and autoclaved for durability.
Demo 2: Large-Format Proof of Concept
- Demonstrates scalability of HOEs for bigger displays.
- Uses laser-phosphor projectors (brighter but with some speckle).
- Two projectors side-by-side deliver a 50° field of view from a very compact source (~2 liters per projector).
- Still in proof-of-concept stage but shows potential for large automotive HUDs.
Demo 3: MicroLED HUD
- Features JBD microLED devices with small lenses.
- Monochrome for now, but extremely bright.
- Suggests future HUDs could eliminate full-size projectors, reducing system size significantly (though cost remains high short-term).
Demo 4: Alternative Placement
- Holograms don’t have to be on the transparent windshield area.
- Demonstrates integration into black panoramic displays below the windshield, replacing traditional instrument clusters.
- Uses a tiny DLP projector (commercially available for ~$100) with holographic film—showing flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
Replication Process
- Ceres uses a large replication machine (up to 1400 mm wide) for mass production.
- Capable of handling windshields for passenger and commercial vehicles.
Summary:
Ceres Holographics is pushing HUD technology forward with digital mastering, scalable HOEs, microLED integration, and versatile placement options—all supported by strong partnerships for automotive-grade manufacturing.
Holographic films that contain Holographic Optical Elements (HOE) are an emerging class of optical device that can be used to bend, shape, or direct light. Simple HOE structures like gratings are used in waveguides to capture, direct and expand images for Augmented Reality (AR) devices. When integrated into the windshield of an automobile, and illuminated by an LED projector they create the images the driver sees on a transparent background without having to wear any additional head gear.
For the automotive HUD application, Ceres’s holographic film acts like a projection screen for the LED projector. While this may sound like a simple optical function (diffusion) to record, it is way more complicated. For example, the light from the LED projector arrives at the holographic film at different angles and distances from the projector. This projected light must be redirected into a fairly narrow driver eyebox with good uniformity and color fidelity. It must also maintain high resolution, be bright, but also highly transparent to external light.
