Fast POC Development in Electro-Optical Systems
- Assaf Levy - Beeri
- Jun 11
- 5 min read
Fast POC Development in Electro-Optical Systems: A practical methodology for turning complex optical ideas into testable systems within weeks
Ten years ago, I was in a large defense company, starting another routine morning of project reviews. The room was focused on deadlines, deliverables, and execution plans, but for weeks I had been holding a different idea in mind. Not an incremental improvement, but something that could change direction.
This creates a tension familiar to every engineering leader. On one side, the drive to explore new concepts and new ideas. On the other, responsibility for running programs, committed resources, and teams that depend on stability. Underneath it all sits one question. What happens if the idea fails after we invest time, budget, and focus.
Many strong ideas are never tested simply because there is no safe and fast validation path.
In electro optical systems this challenge becomes even more critical. Optical development is often perceived as long and heavy. Simulation, optical design, fabrication, integration, and testing can take many months or even years before real feedback is available.
The result is delayed decisions, increased uncertainty, and assumptions that remain untested for too long.
A better approach starts with better questions
Fast POC Development mindset creates a super-focused approach. The main question that guide this:
What is the highest risk assumption in the concept?
What needs to be validated first?
What is the fastest and simplest way to determine feasibility?
In our work with companies and startups, these questions repeat across industries. Is it feasible? Can it be built? How long will it take? What will it cost?
Our focus is to reduce uncertainty early by converting ideas into testable systems that enable learning and decision making in weeks rather than months, using our structured methodology for rapid development of electro-optical POC.
Fast electro-optics POC process
This is the system we use in practice:
Step 1: Problem definition
Define the use case and the primary objective. Clarify what decision must be made such as feasibility, performance, investment level, or product direction.
Step 2: Key parameters
Translate the problem into a minimal initial specification. Focus on critical parameters including performance, cost, size constraints, time to market, and physical limitations.
Step 3: Concept generation
Develop multiple solution directions based on accumulated engineering experience and available technologies.
Step 4: Filtering
Remove weak concepts early by evaluating advantages and limitations. Retain only the most promising directions.
Step 5: Trade off analysis
Compare remaining concepts against weighted key parameters and converge to one or two leading approaches. The output is a focused concept with a high probability of validating the key assumptions, along with a clear understanding of how to translate it into a POC, including budget, timeline, and key risks.
This framework has been applied across dozens of electro optical projects and consistently improves speed, clarity, and quality of early decision making.
We regularly encounter a wide range of ideas with strong technical and market potential. Some are straightforward. Others appear unconventional at first. Examples include a spectrometer for detecting drugs in beverages, a real time physiological monitoring system, and electro optical payload concepts for defense applications.
Example of rapid optical validation in a real AR glasses project
A startup approached us with a concept for AR glasses designed to support real time guidance during daily tasks. The use case was clear. Information must be overlaid directly in the user’s field of view while preserving natural interaction with the environment.
The core challenge was immediately visible. Visual clutter, limited comfort in prolonged use, and uncertainty around optical tradeoffs such as field of view, eyebox, brightness, and display stability.
Tackling the key bottleneck
A first prototype had already been built by another engineering team. While visually impressive, it did not resolve the fundamental constraints of AR glasses and raised concerns about real world usability.
We identified the key optical limitations early and translated the requirements into several system level concepts.
We then built multiple POCs using off the shelf optical components in our laboratory environment. The goal was rapid comparison of different optical architectures through real user experience, not simulation alone.
Creating the first POV Experience
The customer evaluated the concepts in a single session and quickly converged on the most promising direction.
Within a few weeks and with a limited budget, they were able to validate a concept and build a functional POC that addressed the core optical constraints of AR glasses, instead of a long development cycle that produced a polished prototype without resolving the main system challenges.
At that stage, the founders could already evaluate the real feasibility of the product, understand which aspects met their expectations, and identify what still needed improvement.
Just as importantly, they now had something tangible to present to potential users and investors, allowing them to experience the system directly rather than relying only on presentations and slides.
Fast POC Development Toolbox
To make this actionable in practice, here are the core methods we use for fast electro optical proof of concept development.
Off the shelf optical systems
We maintain a broad inventory of optical elements, sensors, light sources, and mechanical components enabling rapid assembly of functional systems. Combined with optical benches and 3D printed interfaces, this allows fast creation of interactive prototypes for early validation.
Existing system-based prototyping
We frequently use AR and VR platforms to expose users to real system behavior. This allows definition of optical requirements such as field of view, resolution, eyebox, brightness, and contrast based on actual experience rather than assumptions. The same approach applies to imaging systems, microscopes, sensors, and endoscopic platforms.
Optical simulation
Using simulations tools such as LightTools and CODE V, we build high fidelity digital models that represent real system behavior. This enables early evaluation of performance under different conditions including contrast, resolution, and environmental lighting. It supports early trade off decisions before hardware exists.
Rapid optical manufacturing and 3D printing
New manufacturing methods enable fast production of optical components, especially polymer based and freeform elements. This reduces lead time from weeks to hours in some cases and enables early experimental validation. While limitations exist in material properties and surface quality, the speed advantage significantly accelerates learning cycles.
When combined, these methods form a practical framework for reducing uncertainty in electro optical development and enabling data driven decision making at early stages.
Most project failures are not caused by weak ideas. They are caused by late discovery of critical assumptions.
Looking back, the real question is not whether the idea was good. The real question is whether there was a reliable way to test it early without excessive commitment.
Today that capability exists. Fast validation frameworks, structured engineering methodologies, and practical optical tools now allow teams to reduce risk significantly before full scale development begins.
The next time a strong idea emerges, the key question is not only whether it should be built.
It is how quickly it can be tested in a way that leads to a clear, confident decision.
About Us
JOYA TEAM is an electro optical engineering company with over 25 years of experience and more than 100 complex projects across defense, medical, automotive, and consumer industries.
Our strength is not only in optical system design, but in bridging the full path from early concept to manufacturable product. We specialize in optical design, system engineering, and the transition from development into production, ensuring that early architectural decisions are aligned with real-world constraints of manufacturing, cost, and scalability.
What differentiates us is our methodology:
We enter early in the process, when uncertainty is still high, and break down the problem into a clear technical and programmatic picture. This includes system feasibility, risk identification, expected performance limits, and realistic assessments of timeline and budget.
Our goal is not only to design electro-optics systems. It is to enable better decision making at the earliest stages of development, before significant resources are committed, and to ensure that what is being built can successfully move from concept to production.
Contact Joya Team today to learn how we can help you build your POC fast for high confidence product decisions
