Meta Materials Inc. invents, designs, develops, and manufactures sustainable, high-performance, functional materials, components, and systems. The company’s extensive technology platform enables leading global brands to deliver breakthrough products to customers in consumer electronics, 5G communications, health and wellness, aerospace, automotive, and clean energy. Among other things, Meta Materials’ nano-optic metamaterial technology provides anti-counterfeiting security features for government documents and currencies and authentication for brands. Its achievements have been widely recognized, including being named a Lux Research Innovator of the Year in 2021.

Technology from the Canadian-headquartered company was featured at last month’s CES 2023 show in Las Vegas as part of the largest commercial vehicle collaboration in Canadian automotive history. Launched by the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association of Canada, Project Arrow is the first original, full-build zero-emission Canadian concept vehicle, according to the company.

Automotive electric vehicle units are projected to grow at a 22% compound annual growth rate globally from 2021 to 2030, with revenues surpassing $1 trillion in 2030, according to market research firm IDTechEx. Many emerging technologies have historically been adopted by the automotive industry to improve performance, safety, and comfort. Meta Materials has developed several technologies that uniquely benefit the automotive industry and its customers, officials say.

“We’re proud to be part of the Project Arrow team, working together with Canada’s automotive supply sector and post-secondary institutions to deliver this game-changing vehicle designed from the bottom up specifically for the Canadian environment and its harsh winter conditions,” according to George Palikaras, President and CEO. “We’re poised to turn powerful concepts into practical applications, utilizing invisible nanocomposite technologies. Meta’s automotive solutions do more with less by addressing the need for more efficient and sustainable material use, with an added benefit of improved functionality.”

Many vehicles today either use bulky systems to blow air or have heat element lines that are visible on a glass surface for defrosting a window, especially on the rear window. NANOWEB, the company’s “revolutionary transparent conductive film,” can be embedded into glass with no visible lines and tailored to generate heat on-demand to provide efficient deicing and defogging for automobiles. According to the company, NANOWEB can also function as an antenna on vehicle sunroofs, windshields, and windows; protect LIDAR sensors from electromagnetic interference; and control an electrochromic layer, adjusting the tint of a sunroof from light to dark at the touch of a button, for example.

Additional products and technology developed and produced by Meta Materials include NPORE and ARfusion. NPORE is the world’s first flexible, free-standing ceramic nanoporous membrane separator for lithium-ion batteries. NPORE separators eliminate the use of plastic substrate, and provide superior functionality and outstanding heat resistance for current and next-generation lithium-ion batteries. ARfusion technology combines precision-cast lens fabrication tools with functional metamaterials and volume holograms. Developers of artificial reality wearables use the ARfusion platform for seamlessly integrating smart technologies into lightweight prescription glasses.

Meta Materials, which opened its office at Hacienda in 2011, is built on “core technologies of rapid material design and fabrication by holography and rolling mask lithography” that “have enabled our scientists and engineers to produce the world’s largest and most advanced library of advanced materials,” according to officials. In addition to its offices in Canada and the United States, the company also has offices in Greece, Japan, Kuwait, and the United Kingdom.

For more information about Meta Materials Inc., please visit www.metamaterial.com, www.ca.linkedin.com/company/metamaterial-technologies-inc, or www.twitter.com/metamaterialtec.