Oct. 3, 2017 –
Aditi Majumder, CEO, Summit Technology Laboratories
Aditi Majumder projects confidence, determination and fearlessness, an image important to her both at home, where she has two daughters, ages 4 and 12, and at work. The professor of computer science in UC Irvine’s Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences excels in a field dominated by men, and she is one of only a handful of female CEOs to occupy CALIT2’s startup incubator, TechPortal, with her company Summit Technology Laboratories.
Majumder’s expertise is computer graphics, visualization and virtual reality. Over the past 10 years, she has developed novel display technology that allows anyone to create personal augmented reality experiences using multiple off-the-shelf projectors. “This visualization software allows us to harness the power of many projectors to create seamless displays on objects of any shape and size with a push of a button,” she explains. In addition, unlike with current projector display technologies, “viewers can interact with our system using laser pointers, tablets or just hand gestures.”
This software-driven, high-resolution, scalable plug-and-play system could have applications in varied environments: education, trade shows, training simulations and entertainment.
High school students experienced the system firsthand at the recent Manufacturing Day Expo and Career Fair held in early October at Los Angeles Trade Tech College. Sponsored by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and the California Manufacturing Technology Consulting (CMTC), the event drew more than 750 local high school students. Summit Technology Laboratories demonstrated its interactive display by projecting images onto a 3-D object, in this case a white vase. Using a handheld tablet, the students decorated the vase with patterns, drawings and even selfies.
“It was our first demo and it went very well,” says Majumder, “especially considering it was a bright, sunny day and we were outdoors, the worst possible scenario for projection-based displays.”
“Cool. Awesome. Amazing,” wrote some of the students who filled out surveys after playing with the system. Eighty-six percent said they really liked it.
The global 3-D display market is a multibillion-dollar industry, according to Shekhar Chandrashekha, the smart manufacturing practice lead at the CMTC. “Technological advances in sensors, flexible hybrid electronics and algorithm design has brought this field to the limelight. Aditi’s efforts represent a breakthrough; by developing technologies and leveraging the concept of ‘design for extreme’ affordability, she is building solutions that can impact people around the world.”
Majumder’s product operates with small, laser projectors, yet produces cinematic quality images. Projectors have been around for a long time, especially in Hollywood. The entertainment industry relies on bulky, heavy, costly, high-quality projectors, ranging from $40,000 to $80,000. Majumder’s system employs lightweight, portable, inexpensive projectors, around $500 each. Plus, it can be set up in a couple of hours, so it is easily deployable, unlike most current systems.
“With our software technology, we can achieve an interactive experience with any brand projector,” says Majumder. “We are hoping to push this technology out to other consumer sectors.”
Developed in her CALIT2 Visualization Lab, Majumder’s technology has generated eight patents. Her small, four-person company is funded by a National Science Foundation Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant. She plans to apply for Phase 2 funding early next year.
Majumder envisions spinning the technology off in various directions. Her first target is the trade show market. But she sees advantages for the design industry and training in smart manufacturing as well.
“Currently, workers receive hands-on training; our technology would be less expensive,” she says. “We could establish small-environment simulation, fast-training stations. We could take it to other parts of the globe, where they are very price conscious.”
Only 17 percent of startups in the U.S. in 2017 had a female founder, according to a recent CrunchBase study. That number has been flat for five years, the study found, even though women make up nearly half of the U.S. workforce and are majority owners of 36 percent of U.S. small businesses.
Majumder says she is proud and sad at the same time. “When you go out into the business world, especially the tech world, and see the lack of women, it’s dismal,” she says as she shakes her head.
The tech entrepreneur credits her husband, ICS professor M. Gopi, for his support, as well as her former students who are now engineers in her company. CALIT2 plays a part in her success too. Her lab is always open for demonstrations when visitors tour the institute, and she appreciates the exposure. That’s how she connected with the CMTC.
When she read a recent school report written by her daughter that called her mother a role model, Majumder was gratified. “It’s been hard, but exciting. With organization, planning, a supportive family and hard work, you can do it. But, maybe most importantly, you should always believe in yourself and your dreams.”
– Lori Brandt
