Google venture arm backs startup aiming to bring mixed reality to any car windshield or plane cockpit
Distance Technologies develops a product that it says can turn any transparent surface into an augmented-reality display.
Distance Technologies
Distance Technologies, a Finnish startup that aims to bring mixed-reality technology to any car windshield or plane cockpit, has raised 10 million euros ($11.1 million) of funding from GV, the venture capital arm of Alphabet and other investors.
Distance raised the cash injection in a seed round led by GV, with existing investors FOV Ventures and Maki.vc also stumping up more cash for the startup, the company told CNBC on Thursday.
Helsinki-headquartered Distance develops technology that it says can turn any transparent surface into an augmented-reality display, enabling the user to see 3D digital objects overlayed on top of the panel they’re viewing.
This avoids the need for any clunky hardware, like a mixed reality headset or augmented reality glasses, both of which require a user to pull an actual device over their eyes to immerse themselves in the experience.
“One of the great barriers for mixed-reality is that, as long as you need to put something on your head, it will never be effortless or elegant as a solution,” Urho Konttori, CEO and co-founder of Distance, told CNBC in an interview earlier this week. Konttori was formerly chief technology officer of Varjo, another Helsinki-based mixed-reality firm.
Distance is primarily focused on selling into the auto, aerospace and defense markets.
The way Distance works is by using tracking technology to identify where you are looking and then compute the correct light field to match the exact positions of your eyes, according to Konttori.
Distance’s solution adds a set of optics layers on top of most liquid crystal displays (LCDs), which allow its tech to beam an image onto the places where your eyes are focusing.
Using this technique, Distance can separate the light fields into your left and right eyes, while also creating an additional optical layer underneath that creates a high brightness.
Distance says its system is capable of “infinite” pixel depth, meaning it can create a life-size field of view in any setting — whether behind the wheel of a car or flying an F-18 fighter jet.
GV, which was formerly known as Google Ventures and counts the internet search giant’s holding company Alphabet as its sole limited partner, told CNBC that it was attracted to invest in Distance due to the “potential to build the next-generation of user interfaces.”
“We are particularly excited about how some of the nearer-term pathways to bring this to market in automotive and aerospace allow the potential for users to get their hands on this technology,” Roni Hiranand, principal at GV, told CNBC.
Commercializing mixed reality isn’t an easy feat. For one, mixed-reality devices are still expensive. Apple’s Vision Pro and Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 devices both start at $3,500 — and they’re not cheap to make, either. A new AR glasses concept device Meta unveiled Wednesday reportedly cost the firm $10,000 per unit to make, according to The Verge.
Meta was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.
Augmented reality heads-up displays, or HUDs, aren’t a new phenomenon in the automotive industry. Companies have been working to add AR features to cars for several years, with tech giant Huawei among the early movers to pioneer the tech in China.
A slew of other display technology firms are developing their own AR HUDs for cars, including First International Computer, Spectralics, Envisics, Futurus, CY Vision, Raythink, Denso, Bosch, Continental, and Panasonic.
According to Distance Technologies Chief Marketing Officer Jussi Mäkinen, the company’s system can cover the entire surface of any transparent surface, not just a specific corner or the bottom half of a display — a limitation that most automotive AR HUDs are facing today.
“The main difference here is that we are driven by the software,” Mäkinen told CNBC.
The company previously showcased a proof-of-concept version of its technology at the Augmented World Expo USA 2024 mixed-reality industry trade show in June.
For now, Distance has had to use simple optics and normal LCD displays to demonstrate its technology to prospective partners and investors. Going forward, Konttori said he’s getting ready to push a “very expensive” button: advancing Distance’s optics technology into what he calls the next generation early next year.
“I would say that we have been in the research cycle now,” Distance’s CEO said. “Now, we are switching into the product cycle. And the key thing to do is work with somebody who will become your customer … one or two to work very closely with, and then a finalized product specification.”
US President Joe Biden, left, and Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, speak on the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025. Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal, bringing at least a temporary halt to the war in Gaza that has killed tens of thousands of people in the last 15 months and touched off broader turmoil across the Middle East.
Aaron Schwartz | Sipa | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Biden administration on Thursday announced an executive order on cybersecurity that imposes new standards for companies selling to the U.S. government and calls for greater disclosure from software providers.
The White House is looking to put in place new rules “to strengthen America’s digital foundations,” Anne Neuberger, deputy national security advisor for cybersecurity and emerging technology, said in a briefing with reporters on Wednesday.
Cyberattacks have caused an increasing number of disruptions inside federal agencies and companies in recent years.
Attackers have pulled off ransomware attacks at Change Healthcare, the operator of the Colonial Pipeline and the Ascension health care system. And Microsoft said in 2023 that Chinese attackers had broken into U.S. government officials’ email accounts, prompting a critical federal report and a series of changes at the software maker.
Companies selling software to the U.S. government will have to demonstrate that their development practices are secure, according to a statement. There will be “evidence that we post on a government website for all software users to benefit from,” Neuberger said.
The General Services Administration will have to make policy that makes cloud providers provide information to clients on how to operate securely.
Companies selling products and services to the U.S. government must adhere to a new set of security practices as a result of the executive order.
Last week the White House announced the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark label to help consumers evaluate internet-connected devices. The executive order states that the U.S. government will only purchase such products if they carry the label, starting in 2027.
The order also directs the National Institute for Standards and Technology to come up with guidance for handling software updates. In late 2020, hackers gained access to Microsoft and U.S. Defense Department systems by targeting updates to SolarWinds‘ Orion software.
It’s not clear if President-elect Donald Trump’s new administration will uphold the executive order. Biden’s cybersecurity officials have not met with those who will take up the work for Trump.
“We haven’t discussed, but we are very happy to, as soon as the incoming cyber team is named, of course, have any discussions during this final transition period,” Neuberger said.
WATCH: Fmr. CISA Director Chris Krebs on cyberthreats: Expect an increase of offensive cyber activity
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A soldier walks next to a Tesla Cybertruck, which was donated to the National Guard, after powerful winds fueling devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area forced people to evacuate, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood on the west side of Los Angeles, California, U.S. Jan. 13, 2025.
Daniel Cole | Reuters
Tesla started offering discounts on new Cybertruck vehicles in its inventory this week, according to listings on the company’s website.
Discounts are as high as $1,600 off new Cybertrucks, with the reduced price depending on configuration, and up to around $2,600 for demo versions of the trucks in inventory, the listings show. Production of the angular, unpainted steel pickups has reportedly slowed in recent weeks at Tesla’s factory in Austin, Texas.
Deliveries of the unconventional pickup began reaching customers in 2023. CEO Elon Musk originally unveiled the Cybertruck in 2019 and said it would cost around $40,000, but its base price in the U.S. was closer to $80,000 over the course of 2024.
Wall Street previously viewed the Cybertruck as an important driver of growth for Tesla’s core automotive sales.
While the Cybertruck outsold the Ford Lightning F-150 last year in the U.S. and became the fifth best-selling EV domestically, according to data tracked by Cox Automotive, its high price, repeat recalls and production issues in Austin hampered growth. In November, Tesla initiated its sixth recall in a year to replace defective drive inverters.
As CNBC previously reported, Tesla’s deliveries declined slightly year-over-year in 2024, even as EV demand worldwide reached a record. A slew of new competitive models from a wide range of automakers eroded Tesla’s market share.
According to Cox data, full-year EV sales reached an estimated 1.3 million in 2024 in the U.S., an increase of 7.3% from the prior year. But Tesla’s sales for the year declined by about 37,000 vehicles.
The Tesla Model Y SUV and Model 3 sedan ranked as the top two best-selling EVs by a wide margin. But both older, more affordable Tesla models saw sales drop from the previous year. Cox estimated Tesla sold around 38,965 Cybertrucks in the U.S. last year.
In recent days, Musk apologized to customers in California for delays in delivering their Cybertrucks. He said the trucks are now being used to bring supplies and wireless internet service to people in Los Angeles impacted by devastating wildfires.
“Apologies to those expecting Cybertruck deliveries in California over the next few days,” Musk wrote on X. “We need to use those trucks as mobile base stations to provide power to Starlink Internet terminals in areas of LA without connectivity. A new truck will be delivered end of week.”
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