OPTOWL Co., Ltd. (Head office: 8F, Yokohama Business Park South Tower, 134 Godo-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan; President and CEO: Hiroshi Takemoto; hereafter “OPTOWL”) has developed an optical module that is the world’s first machine vision lens built on its proprietary metalens (metasurface optics) technology, created as a concept model ahead of mass production (Note 1). OPTOWL will exhibit it for the first time at “VISION Stuttgart 2026,” a machine vision trade show to be held in Stuttgart, Germany from October 6 (Tue) to 8 (Thu), 2026. The lens is primarily intended for applications with constrained mounting space, such as the tip of a robot arm.
(Note 1) Regarding “world’s first”: Metalenses are already used in smartphones and similar devices, but their application to machine vision lenses is a world first (based on our own research). A refractive lens needs a gap between its front and rear groups that adds to its length, whereas a metalens consolidates that function into a single element, greatly shortening the lens at the same focal length.
External View of the Newly Developed Machine Vision Lens Unit
1. Product Features
・Replaces an optical system that conventionally required 8–10 lens elements with a single metalens
・Supported wavelength band: Infrared (IR)
・Reduces overall lens length by approx. 65% versus the conventional product (from approx. 44mm to approx. 15.5mm)
・Its flat, thin form factor makes the module easy to integrate into compact cameras and equipment
・Goes beyond simply “selecting a lens,” enabling proposals as an optical module that helps resolve constraints in equipment design
The configuration of the optical system is shown in the schematic cross-section below. At the exhibition as well, OPTOWL plans to explain this configuration alongside the actual product.
Schematic Cross-Section of the Optical System (Aperture / Metalens / Image Sensor)
2. Comparison with the Conventional Product
The comparison with the conventional product (existing FA lens) is shown below.
Overall Length Comparison
Lens Unit Protrusion When Mounted on a Camera
3. Background and Expected Benefits
In the machine vision market, the growing adoption of collaborative robots has increased demand for cameras mounted on moving, space-constrained parts such as the end effector — the tool or hand attached to the tip of a robot arm to perform the actual work. The collaborative robot market is projected to grow to USD 17.2 billion by 2033 (Note 2), expanding faster than the machine vision market as a whole. The tip of a robot arm is one of the most weight- and space-constrained locations in such systems, where a lens’s overall length directly limits how compact a camera can be and where it can be mounted.
In addition, the rapid advance of physical AI (AI embedded in robots and automated equipment that operate in the real world) continues to diversify and expand the applications of the camera modules mounted on such systems. As constraints on mounting space and weight become even more severe, demand is growing for ultra-compact, ultra-lightweight lenses that can accommodate any mounting condition.
OPTOWL has received specific inquiries centered on applications where mounting space is especially constrained, such as the tip of a robot arm or the inside of inspection jigs. OPTOWL intends to first build a solid track record in areas where the challenge of integrating cameras into tight spaces is clearly defined, and then expand into other application areas from there.
Since fiscal 2024, in response to these needs, OPTOWL has repeatedly validated the miniaturization, thinness, and design freedom that metalenses enable, while confirming their feasibility as an optical module suited to mass production. By incorporating a metalens into the optical system, OPTOWL has now reached the point of bringing a machine vision lens to market. OPTOWL intends to develop this primarily through joint development with OEMs and equipment manufacturers building robot-vision and end-effector-mounted cameras and inspection equipment, growing it as an optical module business that goes beyond lens selection to help resolve constraints in equipment design.
Centered on optical modules for robot-vision and end-effector-mounted cameras and for inspection-equipment OEMs and manufacturers, OPTOWL expects to expand into compact FA cameras, embedded vision, and multi-camera / multi-viewpoint inspection systems, among other applications.
(Note 2) Source: Grand View Research (June 2026; forecast values; published at grandviewresearch.com). Collaborative robot market: USD 2.9B (2025) → USD 17.2B (2033), CAGR 23.1% (“Collaborative Robot Market Size & Share Report, 2026-2033”). Machine vision market overall: USD 22.6B (2025) → USD 61.0B (2033), CAGR 13.4% (“Machine Vision Market Size and Share Report, 2026-2033”).
*The technical specifications and figures above are reference values based on internal materials as of August 2026; mass-production specifications are subject to change.
4. Overview of Exhibition at VISION Stuttgart 2026
・Show name: VISION Stuttgart 2026 (one of the world’s largest machine vision trade shows)
・Dates: October 6 (Tue) – 8 (Thu), 2026
・Venue: Messe Stuttgart (Stuttgart, Germany)
・Booth number: 10F53
・Exhibit content: Live display of the lens and an explanation of the concept
5. Future Plans
・This product has been completed as a concept model ahead of mass production; OPTOWL positions this stage as one for confirming market needs and specific mounting requirements
・Starting with VISION Stuttgart 2026, OPTOWL plans to exhibit at further trade shows in Japan and overseas, gauging response through hands-on demonstrations
・OPTOWL will proceed with sample loans to equipment and camera manufacturers, and will refine mass-production specifications based on the feedback received
・OPTOWL will first build a track record through custom support and small-lot production, and aims to expand mass-production capacity in stages
・Planned launch: OPTOWL plans to begin sales during fiscal year 2027
6. Company Overview
Company name: OPTOWL Co., Ltd.
Head office: 8F, Yokohama Business Park South Tower, 134 Godo-cho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa 240-0005, Japan
Representative: Hiroshi Takemoto, President and CEO
Capital: JPY 350 million
Founded: July 2024
7. Media Contact
OPTOWL Co., Ltd., Meta-Optics Division, Planning & Sales Department, Sales Group
Contact person: Murakami
Email: zjc_press@jp.optowl.com
Reference: OPTOWL has previously announced the following initiatives related to its metalens technology.
・October 8, 2024: On the Development of the New Optical Technology “Metalens”
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000002.000150907.html
・March 3, 2026: OPTOWL Co., Ltd. and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology Begin Joint Research on Polarization Metalens Technology
https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000008.000150907.html