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Hoya Vision Care recently launched a customized eyewear system called Yuniku that is designed to be installed in opticians’ shops. The system, which Hoya spotlighted at last month’s Opti show in Munich, takes high-resolution, 3D scans of a customer’s facial anatomy to create what it describes as “fully 3D-tailored eyewear.”

A joint project with partners Materialise NV, Hoet Design Studio and Aoyama, Yuniku by Hoya is currently available in Europe. According to Hoya, the system enables individualized lens and frame design. Both lenses and frames can be designed and positioned to fit an individual’s unique facial features, functional needs and vision requirements, resulting in “an enhanced vision experience, increased comfort and new possibilities for personalization.”

“Yuniku is an exciting step forward in custom eyewear. By capitalizing on advances in 3D printing technology, we have removed the limitations posed by traditional spectacles,” said Jon Warrick, vice president global marketing, Hoya Vision Care. “For the first time, wearers can enjoy the ultimate in optical performance, without compromising on style or fit.”

The Yuniku by Hoya system uses 3D scanning, parametric design automation and 3D Printing to design a frame around the ideal position of the lenses.
Materialise, which specializes in 3D printing, partnered with Hoya to create a custom 3D scanner and software platform, directly linked to Materialise’s Certified Additive Manufacturing factory. Using 3D scanning, parametric design automation and 3D Printing, the Yuniku platform designs the frame around the ideal position of the optical lenses.

The Yuniku system captures facial features through a digital scan, and a short questionnaire to determine the wearer’s visual needs. Advanced software designed by Hoya uses facial and visual data to determine the ideal position of the lenses in relation to the eyes and communicates this with Materialise’s software, which in turn tailors the frame around the lenses according to the wearer’s unique facial characteristics.

Frame design, color and finish can all be adjusted to match the customer’s individual style, with the integrated software solutions working to ensure that both ideal lens positioning and fit are preserved. Additionally, a screen will display a virtual image of the customer in the selected eyewear.

The base frame collection for Yuniku comes from Hoet Design Studio. As Yuniku is an open platform, further branded frames, from both Hoet, Aoyama and other designers, will be added to the collection. The range features an exclusive selection of frame designs, colors and finishes. These are complemented by a choice of a premium progressive, single vision or indoor lens solution.

Hoya has not yet announced a date for a U.S. release for Yuniku.