Imagine walking into an optician's shop, picking your frames, and getting your prescription lenses printed right there while you grab a coffee — no more waiting days or weeks for a lab to ship them. ODYSSEY developed an ultra-precise laser printing technique that creates razor-thin, lightweight prescription lenses using nano-scale surface patterns instead of traditional thick curved glass. They already built two generations of working prototype lenses, tested them with real people, and adjusted the design based on their feedback. The team also filed two international patents and plans to launch a spin-out company to bring this to market.
Prescription eyeglasses today require complex, centralized manufacturing — lenses are ground, polished, and coated in specialized labs, then shipped to opticians. This means customers wait days or weeks, opticians hold expensive inventory, and the supply chain is long and costly. There is no way to produce a custom prescription lens on the spot in a retail shop.
The project built 2 generations of laser-printed prototype prescription lenses (diopter +6 and -6, 40 mm diameter) using UV lithography and metasurface technology, tested with 6 real users. They also demonstrated large-area metasurface foil fabrication and ophthalmic lenses with embedded metasurfaces.
If you are an optician chain dealing with long lead times and complex supply chains for prescription lenses — this project developed laser-printed lenses fabricated in 40 mm diameter with diopters from -6 to +6, that could be made on-demand in-store. This eliminates the need to stock inventory or wait for external labs, cutting delivery time from days to minutes and reducing logistics costs.
If you are a lens manufacturer struggling with expensive grinding and polishing equipment and rising material costs — this project built metasurface-based lenses using UV lithography and lift-off processes. The technology produces ultra-thin, lightweight lenses without traditional glass shaping, tested across 6 test persons with 2nd generation prototypes adjusted based on real user feedback.
If you are a laser equipment company looking for new high-value applications for your printing technology — this project demonstrated large-area fabrication of metasurface foils and ophthalmic lenses with embedded metasurfaces. The consortium includes 2 SMEs and 4 industry partners across 3 countries, with 2 international patents filed on the core technology.
The project has filed 2 international patent applications on the core technology and plans to launch a university spin-out from DTU. Licensing terms would need to be negotiated directly with DTU or the future spin-out company. Based on available project data, specific pricing per lens or licensing fees are not disclosed.
The project demonstrated large-area fabrication of metasurface foils, which is a key step toward volume production. However, current prototypes are 40 mm diameter lenses produced via UV lithography and lift-off — a process that would need further scaling for high-throughput commercial production.
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) filed 2 international patent applications on the ODYSSEY technology. The project objective includes launching a university spin-out to commercialize the technology. IP access would go through DTU's technology transfer office or the planned spin-out entity.
The 2nd generation prototypes cover diopter +6 and -6 with 40 mm diameter, fitted to 6 test persons' individual prescriptions. Based on available project data, the full range of correctable prescriptions beyond this is not specified.
Yes. The project produced 2 generations of prototype lenses. The 2nd generation lenses were fitted to 6 test persons' prescriptions and adjusted based on feedback from the first generation. Prototype lenses were also mounted in frames for real-world validation.
As a medical device (prescription eyewear), these lenses would require CE marking under the EU Medical Device Regulation before commercial sale. Based on available project data, the project focused on technology validation rather than regulatory certification.
The ODYSSEY consortium is strongly industry-oriented with 4 out of 5 partners coming from industry (80% ratio), including 2 SMEs, spread across Denmark, Greece, and Sweden. Danmarks Tekniske Universitet leads as the sole academic partner and patent holder. This heavy industry presence — unusual for an EU research project — signals serious commercialization intent. The project built on prior FET OPEN work (CHROMAVISION) and a FET Innovation Launchpad (DeLight), won the 2018 Innovation Radar Prize, and explicitly targets a university spin-out as the commercialization vehicle. With EUR 1,933,370 in EU funding and 2 international patents filed, the technology has a clear path toward market entry through the planned spin-out.
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU), Denmark — reach out to the photonics or nano-optics department for technology licensing or spin-out partnership inquiries.
Want to explore licensing the ODYSSEY lens printing technology or partnering with the DTU spin-out? SciTransfer can connect you with the right people on the research team.
