GARDNER, Mass., Jan. 28, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Precision Optics Corporation (Nasdaq: POCI), a global leader in the design and development of optical components and systems for advanced medical, industrial, and defense/aerospace applications, is pleased to announce the launch of the Unity Imaging Platform, comprising a standard baseline CMOS endoscopic system with customization options based on existing or newly designed sub-components. This groundbreaking modular optical platform is set to transform the development and production of endoscopic imaging devices by significantly reducing costs, time to market, and project risks.
A Platform Built on a Depth of Experience
The Unity Imaging Platform (“Unity”) represents the culmination of many years of research, development, and collaboration with key industry players. By leveraging insights from many previous projects, Unity incorporates proven design architectures to meet the unique needs of today’s medical imaging devices. Customers benefit from a modular, adaptable solution that simplifies every stage of the development process, from prototyping to production using the latest technologies.
“The Unity platform embodies Precision Optics’ deep expertise in CMOS-based imaging systems and our commitment to accelerating innovation in medical technology,” said Dr. Joe Forkey, CEO of Precision Optics. “By consolidating common design elements and offering a flexible, modular architecture, appropriate for both re-usable and single-use endoscopic systems, Unity enables faster, more cost-effective development while maintaining the very highest standards of quality and compliance.”
Revolutionizing the One Customer, One Device Approach
Traditionally, optical development in medical imaging has been highly customized, with each solution tailored to the specific needs of an individual project. While effective, this approach often results in long development cycles and higher costs. Unity flips this model on its head by delivering a robust, adaptable system that serves as a foundation for entire families of products.
Jonathan Everett, Vice President of Engineering at Precision Optics, explained, “With Unity, we’re able to provide customers with a functional video pipeline early in the development process. This accelerates their system integration efforts and allows them to gather feedback from stakeholders much sooner, ultimately shortening the time to market and enhancing overall project efficiency.”
Key Benefits of the Unity Imaging Platform
- Accelerated Time to Market: Customers can begin system integration and user testing earlier, reducing development cycles and speeding up the path to production.
- Cost Efficiency: By leveraging pre-validated design elements, customers minimize the need for bespoke engineering efforts, resulting in potential cost savings as the risks of redesign are low.
- Risk Mitigation: Unity’s proven architectures reduce the uncertainties inherent in developing novel imaging devices, ensuring regulatory compliance and robust performance.
- Scalability: The platform supports the development of multiple products from a single design framework, offering scalability for growing product portfolios.
Driving Innovation in Single-Use Endoscopy
Single-use endoscopic devices are a rapidly growing segment within medical imaging, offering significant benefits in terms of safety and cost-effectiveness. Unity uniquely suits this market, providing an ideal foundation for developing disposable imaging solutions.
“Our recent production launches of single-use endoscopes showcase the power of our technology to meet the stringent cost and performance demands of this sector,” Dr. Forkey noted. “With two programs already in production and more in development, we are driving advancements that benefit patients, healthcare providers, and device manufacturers alike.”
An Accelerated Approach to Cutting-Edge Solutions
Precision Optics has a long-standing reputation for fostering collaborative partnerships with its customers. Unity enhances these relationships by offering a shared vision for innovation and a pathway to market success. Early adopters of Unity have expressed enthusiasm about its accelerated, streamlined development process and potential to expand their product capabilities.
“The response from our key partners has been very positive,” Dr. Forkey said. “By thinking beyond individual projects and embracing a standardized approach, our customers can unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation.”
Looking Ahead
With the launch of Unity, Precision Optics is poised to lead the next generation of optical innovation. Upcoming platform expansions will include advanced capabilities such as multi-sensor imaging for 3D and fluorescence applications, enabling groundbreaking medical procedures that improve patient outcomes.
“Unity is not just a platform; it’s premised on a philosophy of continuous improvement,” Everett added. “We’re excited to work with our customers to bring new levels of performance, efficiency, and impact to medical imaging.”
About Precision Optics Corporation
Founded in 1982, Precision Optics is a vertically integrated optics company primarily focused on leveraging its proprietary micro-optics and 3D imaging technologies to the healthcare and defense/aerospace industries by providing services ranging from new product concept through mass manufacture. Utilizing its leading-edge in-house design, prototype, regulatory and fabrication capabilities as well as its Lighthouse Imaging division’s electronic imaging expertise and its Ross Optical division’s high volume world-wide sourcing, inspecting and production resources, the Company designs and manufactures next-generation product solutions for the most challenging customer requirements. Within healthcare, Precision Optics enables next generation medical device companies around the world to meet the increasing demands of the surgical community who require more enhanced and smaller imaging systems for minimally invasive surgery, including single-use medical devices, as well as 3D endoscopy systems to support the rapid proliferation of surgical robotic systems. In addition to these next generation applications, Precision Optics has supplied top tier medical device companies with a wide variety of optical products for decades, including complex endocouplers and specialized endoscopes. The Company is also leveraging its technical proficiency in micro-optics to enable leading edge defense/aerospace applications which require the highest quality standards and the optimization of size, weight and power. For more information, please visit www.poci.com.
About Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements which express the Company’s intentions, beliefs, expectations, strategies, predictions or any other statements related to the Company’s future activities or future events or conditions. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company’s business based, in part, on assumptions made by the Company’s management. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Any forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required by law.
Company Contact:
Clay Schwabe
Precision Optics Corporation
22 East Broadway
Gardner, Massachusetts 01440-3338
Telephone: 978-630-1800
Investor Contact:
LYTHAM PARTNERS, LLC
Robert Blum
Telephone: 602-889-9700
poci@lythampartners.com
