# Shawn Frayne

> Shawn Frayne is the co-founder and CEO of Looking Glass, a display company operating between Brooklyn and Hong Kong. An MIT physics graduate and inventor of the Windbelt, he worked on small-scale energy and solar manufacturing before returning to his childhood interest in holography. Looking Glass develops glasses-free light-field and Hololuminescent Displays for shared viewing.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Looking Glass
- **Organizations:** Looking Glass, Humdinger Wind Energy, Haddock Invention
- **Education:** BS in Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Invented the Windbelt, a turbine-free wind energy harvester., Received a 2007 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award., 2008 Curry Stone Design Prize honoree.

## Career timeline

- **High school** — Built a laser-interference holography studio.
- **2003** — Graduated from MIT with a BS in Physics.
- **2007** — Co-founded Humdinger Wind Energy; received a Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award for the Windbelt.
- **2008** — Recognized by the Curry Stone Design Prize for the Windbelt.
- **2009** — Named to Inc. magazine’s 30 Under 30.
- **2012** — Worked with Alex Hornstein on the Kickstarter-funded Solar Pocket Factory.
- **2014** — Looking Glass founded; its first Kickstarter offered volumetric prints.
- **2018** — Looking Glass launched its desktop holographic developer kit.
- **2020** — Looking Glass launched Portrait through Kickstarter.
- **2022** — Looking Glass introduced its 65-inch display.
- **2025** — Looking Glass introduced Hololuminescent Display technology.
- **2026** — Looking Glass announced musubi, received a SID Display of the Year award for HLD, and showed a switchable 2D/holographic prototype.

## Achievements

- Invented the Windbelt, a turbine-free wind energy harvester.
- Received a 2007 Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award.
- 2008 Curry Stone Design Prize honoree.
- Named to Inc. 30 Under 30 in 2009.
- Named among Discover magazine’s 20 Best Brains Under 40.
- Listed on dozens of patents internationally.
- Co-founded Looking Glass, whose HLD technology received a SID 2026 Display of the Year award.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — A June 17 post signed by Shawn announced an electrically switchable 2D/holographic HLD prototype shown with JCDecaux at VivaTech in Paris; described as a prototype for a future second generation.
- **2026-05** — Looking Glass reported its Display Week demonstrations, including an 86-inch HLD, after receiving a SID Display of the Year award.
- **2026-04** — Looking Glass announced that HLD received a SID 2026 Display of the Year award.
- **2026-03** — Looking Glass announced musubi, a seven-inch consumer holographic photo and video frame.

## Links

- Website: https://shawninvents.substack.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-frayne-411b651
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/shawninvents

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/shawn-frayne
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-25