Danish company NIL Technology releases the ultra-compact eye-tracking camera metaEye, featuring a Meta-optics design
Danish optics company NIL Technology has released the ultra-compact eye-tracking camera metaEye, which it calls the world's first camera designed entirely with meta-optics, with overall dimensions smaller than a grain of rice. The product integrates two metalens optical elements (MOE), a bandpass filter, and multiple optical apertures, and is mounted directly on the image sensor's cover glass, eliminating the need for traditional refractive lenses. NILT says relevant customers are moving toward mass production in 2026, and metaEye is also the first product in its metaCamera modular camera architecture.
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On October 28, Danish optical technology company NIL Technology (NILT) officially released the ultra-miniature eye-tracking camera metaEye, aimed primarily at AI smart glasses and AR/VR headsets. According to the company, metaEye is the world's first camera designed entirely with meta-optics, with an overall size smaller than a grain of rice, which can further reduce the size of eye-tracking modules.
In terms of technology, metaEye uses two meta-optical elements (MOEs) and integrates them with a bandpass filter and multiple optical apertures into an integrated solid-state lens structure that is mounted directly on the cover glass of the image sensor, eliminating the need for traditional refractive lenses.
It is understood that meta-optics technology achieves light control through semiconductor nanostructure manufacturing processes, and can use planar optical elements to replace some traditional curved lenses, thereby reducing the size and structural complexity of optical systems. NILT said that metaEye is not only the first commercial camera to use entirely meta-optical elements, but also the first related product to integrate two MOEs.
Compared with traditional cameras, metaEye eliminates the bulky refractive optical structure and adopts a compact lens stack design with no air gaps and no plastic parts. Ulrich Quaade, Vice President of Optics at NILT, said that this structure helps improve the camera's performance stability over a wide temperature range while meeting the miniaturization and optical performance requirements of eye-tracking applications.
In terms of mass production, NILT said that over the past year and a half it has carried out product validation and trial production with a number of key customers, and the relevant customers are currently advancing mass production in 2026. The meta-optical elements used in metaEye are designed and manufactured in-house by NILT, while camera assembly is completed by partners. The product also previously won a 2025 SPIE Prism Award.
In addition, metaEye is the first product under NILT's metaCamera modular camera architecture. This architecture supports customization according to different image sensors and application requirements, and can be expanded in the future to different configurations such as metaInfinity for long-distance imaging and metaMacro for macro imaging, targeting fields such as smart wearables, robotics and medical care.
NILT said that metaEye was developed primarily for eye-tracking applications, hoping to use meta-optics technology to reduce the use of traditional optical elements and provide more compact visual perception solutions for AI glasses and AR/VR headsets.
Source: BusinessWire
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