OUR STORY
Folium Optics was founded in November 2013 by Steve Kitson and John Rudin, beginning life from offices within an incubator space in Bristol Robotics Lab, at the University of the West of England. After just two years, we’d outgrown our initial facilities and moved to our own industrial unit in Thornbury, Bristol.
We’ve grown organically, focussing on the Healthcare and Defence sectors, using our income to develop the business and create a stable, steady expansion of our capabilities and scope. Our customers include the National Health Service, Ministry of Defence and a range of international blue-chip corporations.
In 2019 the company shifted its emphasis from fabrication to consultancy after the successful sale of part of its IP portfolio, and we continue to help our customers in the UK and across the globe. We are now based at the Bristol and Bath Science Park
Our goal is an ambitious one: to use the unique properties of our displays to to solve challenging problems for our customers and deliver our technology to consumer products across the world.
Folium Optics has bid and won numerous InnovateUK, DASA (CDE) and SBRI Healthcare projects, and we can offer to assist in bid writing and review.
We’ve grown organically, focussing on the Healthcare and Defence sectors, using our income to develop the business and create a stable, steady expansion of our capabilities and scope. Our customers include the National Health Service, Ministry of Defence and a range of international blue-chip corporations.
In 2019 the company shifted its emphasis from fabrication to consultancy after the successful sale of part of its IP portfolio, and we continue to help our customers in the UK and across the globe. We are now based at the Bristol and Bath Science Park
Our goal is an ambitious one: to use the unique properties of our displays to to solve challenging problems for our customers and deliver our technology to consumer products across the world.
Folium Optics has bid and won numerous InnovateUK, DASA (CDE) and SBRI Healthcare projects, and we can offer to assist in bid writing and review.
THE FOUNDERS
John Rudin
john.rudin@foliumoptics.com
John Rudin studied Engineering at Durham University and Applied Optics at Reading University. He joined Hewlett Packard Research Labs Bristol working on future user interfaces, and co-founded the displays research group there. He developed novel bistable LC and electrophoretic display modes, as well as developing high speed plastic processing techniques for transparent conductors, colour filter arrays and TFTs. More recently his research was in ultra-high transparency TFT arrays for stacked reflective systems based, and in the development of a clean spool cassette system for revolutionising complex functional device fabrication on flexible substrates. In 2013 he co-founded Folium Optics Ltd.
john.rudin@foliumoptics.com
John Rudin studied Engineering at Durham University and Applied Optics at Reading University. He joined Hewlett Packard Research Labs Bristol working on future user interfaces, and co-founded the displays research group there. He developed novel bistable LC and electrophoretic display modes, as well as developing high speed plastic processing techniques for transparent conductors, colour filter arrays and TFTs. More recently his research was in ultra-high transparency TFT arrays for stacked reflective systems based, and in the development of a clean spool cassette system for revolutionising complex functional device fabrication on flexible substrates. In 2013 he co-founded Folium Optics Ltd.
Steve Kitson
Steve studied physics at Exeter University and has a PhD in quantum optics. He joined HP Labs in Bristol in 1998 and became a senior research scientist in the Next Generation Displays Group. He led the electro-optics team, generating new display technologies, including new bistable displays, in which the image persists indefinitely when the power is removed. More recently he worked on a colour reflective plastic display that enables new low power products. In 2013 he cofounded Folium Optics to commercialise that technology. Steve left Folium Optics in 2019 to start up his own business consultancy - Impax
Steve studied physics at Exeter University and has a PhD in quantum optics. He joined HP Labs in Bristol in 1998 and became a senior research scientist in the Next Generation Displays Group. He led the electro-optics team, generating new display technologies, including new bistable displays, in which the image persists indefinitely when the power is removed. More recently he worked on a colour reflective plastic display that enables new low power products. In 2013 he cofounded Folium Optics to commercialise that technology. Steve left Folium Optics in 2019 to start up his own business consultancy - Impax
