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May 18, 2026 • Kate Park

LetinAR: Building the Optical Backbone of AI Glasses

LetinAR: Building the Optical Backbone of AI Glasses LetinAR: Building the Optical Backbone of AI Glasses LetinAR: Building the Optical Backbone of AI Glasses

South Korea's LetinAR is Building Optics Behind AI Glasses

The Rise of AI Glasses

A lens the size of a thumbnail — and the South Korean startup that makes it — could become the optical backbone of the AI glasses era.

Over the past few years, Big Tech has been placing strategic bets on smart glasses:

  • Meta has been selling AI-enabled Ray-Ban glasses since 2023
  • Google is building Android XR
  • Apple is expected to enter the market
  • Samsung is reportedly set to unveil its first AI-capable smart glasses, co-designed with Gentle Monster
  • Chinese companies like Huawei, Alibaba, and Xiaomi are all moving into the space

Market Momentum

Key Statistics:

  • Global AI glasses shipments surged to 8.7 million units in 2025, up more than 300% from the prior year
  • Analysts project shipments will cross 15 million units this year
  • The numbers reflect a clear shift from early adoption to mass production

LetinAR: The Optical Technology Provider

Company Background

  • Founded: 2016 by CEO Jaehyeok Kim and CTO Jeonghun Ha (friends since high school)
  • Latest Funding: $18.5 million from Korea Development Bank and Lotte Ventures
  • Total Raised: $41.7 million
  • Planned IPO: 2027 in South Korea
  • Backed by: LG Electronics

The Core Challenge

LetinAR doesn't make the glasses — it makes the optical module that makes the glasses work. The central engineering challenge:

  • Must be light, thin, and power-efficient
  • Must deliver a sharp, clear image
  • Must fit inside a normal-looking frame

PinTILT Technology: The Technical Breakthrough

The Problem with Existing Approaches

Waveguide (Dominant Approach):

  • Works like a TV, broadcasting light across the full lens
  • Thin lens, but inefficient
  • Most light gets thrown away before reaching the eye
  • Result: Dimmer images and fast battery drain

Birdbath (Mirror-Based Approach):

  • Delivers light more directly to the eye
  • Structure is bulky, making it nearly impossible to fit inside normal-looking glasses

LetinAR's Solution: PinTILT

Key Innovation:

  • Focuses only on the light that can actually enter the eye
  • Carefully engineers the angle of each tiny element inside the lens
  • Produces a brighter image in a thinner, lighter form factor
  • Uses less power

Result: Solves the trade-off between size, weight, image quality, and battery life

Competition

Peers in the space include:

  • WaveOptics (acquired by Snap)
  • DigiLens
  • Lumus

Real-World Applications

Current Customers

  • Japan's NTT QONOQ Devices
  • Dynabook (formerly Toshiba Client Solutions)
  • In R&D talks with Big Tech companies (names undisclosed)

Case Study: Aegis Rider

Application: AI-powered AR helmet for motorcyclists

  • Displays navigation, speed, and safety alerts directly in the rider's field of vision
  • Information appears "anchored to the road" as if physically painted on the world ahead
  • Target Market: EU and Swiss markets in 2026
  • Use Case: Imagine riding at 160 km/h with an arrow floating on the road ahead, telling you exactly where to turn — no phone, no dashboard, just your helmet and LetinAR's thumbnail-sized lens

Strategic Position

"We see AI glasses as that next platform," said CEO Kim. "And the optical module is the hardest part to get right as AI glasses makers will need a lens that is thinner, lighter, and more power-efficient than what exists today."

LetinAR's Vision: To be the optical supplier that AI glasses makers call when they need the critical component that makes their devices actually wearable.

Use of Latest Funding: Scale-up as the AI glasses market shifts from early adopters to mass production. Kim emphasized that hardware devices like AI glasses are the next layer that will bring AI into everyday life.