With an investment from Innovacorp, Nova Scotia's early stage venture capital organization, Metamaterial Technologies (Halifax, Nova Scotia) will commercialize large-scale production of the nanocomposite material called metaAir, a product that deflects bright light and laser beams that can disorient pilots and impact jetliner flight paths.
"We've developed new optical thin films using proprietary nanofabrication and design techniques which are essentially capable of manipulating light, by blocking, absorbing and enhancing it, depending on the application," said George Palikaras, president and CEO of Metamaterial Technologies. "Until now, it has not been possible to produce this new class of smart materials in large sizes, but our technology can be mass produced, making it a true game-changer."
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Metamaterial Technologies will use the $2 million ($1.5 million in equity investment and $500,000 in non-repayable funding) from Innovacorp to tailor its product for the aerospace industry. The metaAIR technology selectively blocks and controls light from a range of angles when applied to cockpit windshields.
Last year, Metamaterial Technologies announced a product development and testing partnership with leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus and in July, secured $3 million in research and development funding from ACOA's Atlantic Innovation Fund.
"metaAIR is the long-awaited answer to a serious and growing problem for the aviation industry," said Charley Baxter, vice-president of investment at Innovacorp. "Metamaterial Technologies has the capability to design new optical materials for other applications such as clean energy. The market for metamaterials is expected to reach $1.9 billion by 2021, making this a great investment opportunity for Innovacorp."
SOURCE: Innovacorp; https://innovacorp.ca/news/nova-scotia-innovation-protects-pilots-flight-paths
