IRYStec Software Inc., a perceptual display platform that makes any kind of portable devices smarter, announced it has brought on new experts in eye health and safety to its team. The additions are part of a bid to make displays healthier and safer, and combat the risks surrounding the viewing of screens.

The three-year-old TandemLaunch graduate closed a Series A in the fall of 2016, and we also featured the company’s Co-Founder and VP of Research and Development, Afsoon Soudi, for our WMNinTECH series.

At its inception, IRYStec started recruiting a multidisciplinary research team with specialists in image processing, eye physiology and display hardware technology. The addition of specialists in eye health and safety is part of an ongoing effort to reduce the risks surrounding the viewing of screens and the negative correlation between screen time and mental health.

“We’re developing the first perceptual display platform that makes any kind of portable devices smarter. For the first product we can increase the image quality in extreme lighting conditions. So for example when you have your cell phone at night in your bed or when you’re going out in the sun. Either your screen is too bright in the sun, or if you dim it you lose depth and image quality. Our software optimizes that in real time. And the next step is making the screen personalized based on the individual watching the display,” Afsoon previously told MTLinTECH.

“Some people prefer certain colours. There are also trends in different parts of the world, for example in Asia they prefer colder colours, bluish screens, and in the Western countries they prefer warmer colours. So that’s one factor that affects preferences culturally or based on the age and gender. Some people are colour blind. They view the screen differently, so our product improves the way they see their screen. These are things that have been in the industry for a long time. But the difference is the bigger industries treat displays mostly for the 25 year old male and they calibrate it for that person. Nowadays everybody has their own display for different ages and for different environments. So you need to change that, make it flexible to take into account all these factors and improve the image for everybody.” - Afsoon Soudi

READ ALSO: WMNinTECH: Afsoon Soudi on the transition from academia to tech

“IRYStec’s eye friendly approach to improving display readability in bright and dark lighting conditions as well as reducing eye strain will benefit everyone. IRYStec is helping display device manufacturers develop healthier displays,” said Optometrist Dr Tyler Ohde, an expert in eye care who will be aiding IRYStec as a new member of IRYStec’s Technical Advisory Board (TAB).

IRYStec’s clients are display device manufacturers, from mobile phones and tablets to automotive displays and Augmented/Virtual Reality (VR) headsets. Its PDP technology improves the viewing experience of displays by instantly matching both the colour and contrast of the content to the ambient environment of the viewer. The platform will also make content more compelling by adapting to each viewer’s unique vision, including adjusting the colour and contrast of content for age.

The company is also focusing on the negative impact of displays on automative safety with a collaboration with Francesco Biondi, a researcher from the university commissioned by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

“Our collaborative research with AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found that the latest automotive infotainment systems increase the potential for distraction, by taking the driver’s eyes off the road. Two second viewing time is enough to double the risk for a crash, according to previous research. IRYStec’s approach of improving readability in dark and bright driving conditions can help and has the real potential for improving driving safety,” said Biondi.