Light is primarily known for its advanced camera technology, most notably its L16 camera carrying 16 lenses and capable of producing 52MP photos. The powerful camera began shipping in April 2017, and later this year Light"s camera tech will be finally incorporated into a smartphone for consumers worldwide.
Towards that end, the American digital photography company will use the $121 million funding it recently raised from a Series D financing round led by SoftBank"s Vision Fund, with participation from camera maker Leica. Besides mobile devices, Light also plans to apply its imaging platform to security, robotics, automotive, aerial, and industrial imaging systems.
Dave Grannan, Light CEO and Co-founder, said:
Light’s technology is a revelation, showing that several small, basic camera modules, combined with highly powerful software, can produce images that rival those produced by cameras costing and weighing orders of magnitude more. We’re just getting started. Having the support of SoftBank Vision Fund as a strategic investor means this technology will see more of the world sooner than we could have ever imagined.
Light noted that its core technologies such as the Lux Capacitor camera control chip and the Fusion Engine for multi-image processing are also designed for smartphones, security, automotive, robotics, drones, and other applications.
It remains unclear, however, what the Light camera-equipped smartphone will look like and when it will be launched.