Metamaterial technology has now moved beyond the laboratory stage and is beginning to be implemented in real-world products. Recently, major countries, corporations, and research institutions have been accelerating the race to commercialize metamaterial-based technologies by transforming them into high-performance and ultra-lightweight products.
The first fields to achieve results have been optics and displays. The research team led by Professor Federico Capasso at Harvard University developed a planar lens based on metamaterials and succeeded in commercializing the "Metalenz" in 2021. Thinner and more precise than conventional lenses, it is rapidly being adopted as a high-performance optical component for smartphones and extended reality (XR) devices.
In the communications sector, Kymeta in the United States leads the way. The company developed a flat-panel metamaterial antenna for satellite communications and launched an ultra-thin satellite antenna for maritime communications in 2024, expanding its presence in both military and civilian broadband communications markets.
In the field of autonomous driving and sensing, Lumotive has attracted attention by developing a metamaterial-based LiDAR system. This system can precisely control the direction of light without mechanical rotation, making it a next-generation 3D perception technology.
In the field of acoustics and noise control, the European startup Metasonixx developed lightweight soundproof metamaterial panels in 2021 and commercialized window blinds that reduce noise while maintaining ventilation. This technology received the Business Innovation Award from the Institute of Physics in the United Kingdom in 2024.
Multiwave Technologies in Switzerland, in collaboration with Aix-Marseille University in France, developed a metamaterial-based MRI coil and is now working to commercialize a compact portable MRI scanner utilizing this technology.
China is continuing large-scale government-led investments, focusing on the communications and defense sectors. The country is concentrating on developing metamaterial antennas for base stations and mobile phones targeting 6G and satellite networks, and is also developing electromagnetic wave absorbing and shielding materials to secure stealth technologies such as radar absorbers.
South Korea demonstrates strengths in the actual production and manufacturing technologies of metamaterials. The research team led by Professor Junsuk Noh at Pohang University of Science and Technology has secured mass production technology for metalenses using semiconductor processes, laying the foundation for mass-producing high-performance lenses at a lower cost than conventional refractive lenses.
Professor Noh stated, "For innovative technologies to be commercialized, manufacturing innovation must be pursued in parallel," and added, "Metamaterials are being recognized as a core technology beyond semiconductors, and efforts to expand industrial applications are needed domestically as well."
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