University of Washington researchers have just managed to embed LED's and an electronic circuit board into contact lenses. Quite an acheivement given the size of the components involved and the need to marry inflexible metallic elements with the flexible organic matter of the lense. The circuits were built from layers of metal which were only a few nanometers thick (about one thousandth the width of a human hair), and in such a way that they do not obstruct the wearer's vision.
Although not yet a fully functional prototype, it is a significant step towards making direct video-to-eye applications possible. The researchers believe that it can be developed to carry wireless communication capabilities and be powered by tiny solar cells placed on the lens meaning that the technique could have multiple applications. Imagine your very own head-up display that gave you information about your environment as you moved through it. Imagine being completely immersed in a virtual world game without any restriction on movement. Imagine being able to view the internet without the need for a separate screen.
A lot of speculation on the future of media focuses on the ubiquity of screen media - on PC's, mobile devices, even whole walls - media which remains detached from the individual. But what about the screen that you wear?
Hat tip to
It sounds like a great leap for technology although I'm not too sure how I feel about having something like that embedded on my contact lenses. Sure, we're making progress in this field. But is this really the right direction?
Posted by: Jen, writer MembershipMillionaire.com | January 21, 2008 at 12:30 PM
I was discussing the unpublicized dangers of cell phones (mobiles to you folks east of the Atlantic) with someone I consider fairly well-informed on these things, and he described how they emit microwaves that heat up your body (there is a point here, I promise). Much of your body, like your ears, is fine with this, and can easily lose the heat back into the surrounding air. The part of your body that is terrible at dealing with the increased heat caused by cell phone microwaves is your eyes. He claimed an increased risk of cataracts goes along with habitual cell phone usage. Anyway, a big challenge of building computers has always been to keep the components cool since they heat up with they are busily computing things. I don't think I want a heat-emitting circuit board on my eye. ... Maybe they already thought of that. We can hope.
Posted by: Lemon Fresh | January 21, 2008 at 10:06 PM
Jen, Lemon Fresh - thanks for the comments. I think it's early days for technology like this but I'd like to think that all potential risks would be explored before a commercial product was put on the market. Fascinating project though.
Posted by: neilperkin | January 22, 2008 at 09:10 AM
I suppose this is a logical development for the contact lens industry, if not a little scary. Contact lenses are big business now. Just imagine what will happen if this takes off!
http://www.fx-eyes.com/contact-lenses-uk/
Posted by: Contact Lenses UK | February 11, 2009 at 07:56 PM
I am J.Barrett Haynes, phone 818-987-5180. I patented the first cornea borne image display, or contact lense imageing device on Feb 29 of 1988. It was a simple fiber-optic "pipedream" device. I met with the noted Dr. Henry Ingle shortly there after and we discussed the future of this human machine interface which will eventually be free of connecting wires or so on. The papers I have since copyrighted about the fantastic future of corne-borne image displays are available, just call me.
I also spoke with Howard reingold before he pulished his book but he refused to put anything about this device in his book, VIRTUAL REALITY. He will probably regret this mistake. Michael Heim also invited me to speak at his home in mid '1993, so you can see that I was ahead of the leeders in this area and I still am. I can tell you things about this SPIRITUAL device and I can show you where it is indirectly referred to in Bible prophecy. The world is about to walk into virtual reality by this and many accompanying in-your-face interface technologies. There is more to this than meets the eye. We will all keep our eyes dotted and take them off only to reference reality without which virtual reality becomes a psychotic irreconcilled colidascopic (spelling?)lucid dream.(spellig?)
Posted by: Barrett Haynes | March 12, 2009 at 12:09 AM
Hello again, this is Barrett Haynes the inventor of Cornea-borne Image display that I patented in 1988. The future refined devices that the bionic contact lense will become will be the first technology to eliminate resolution.that is to say, it will trancduce the image into the retina after it reads the count and location of the rods & cones in the retina and then transduce the image to the retina effectively eliminateing resolution and focus. Though this is far from being developed and will require many millions of dollars to make a prototype, it is enevitable and will be the final product of this research. problems of stable horizon, static placement & transmission through the eyelids (when closed) will all be solved. Transduction of the imagery will be a kind of raster function as in a video tube and will redefine the eye as a synapse and the remote camera or imageing device becomes our eyes. This represents THE resumption of gestation through technology of the human race (see my copyrights and poetry - NEURAL NOVAS) because the remote camera or imageing device will become our eyes. I have written about this extensively in the '80s and '90s. You can contact me at 818-987-5180 in San Diego, Calif. I call it Symbioscope, the hybrid of symbiotic-- stereoscope and you can SEE it is more than a fancy Kaleidescopic insight; it will become an educational device that will enable mothers to see and cuddle their babies before the child is born. The child will be able to see and hear their Mother & will be borne speaking and this will not be by genetic engineering alone but by placeing symbioscopes (cornea borne image displays) transduction "contact lenses" on their eyes as they are gestating. Keep your eyes pealed for more visions of the futute from me, Barrett Haynes. For the Ladies, O X
Posted by: Barrett Haynes | March 12, 2009 at 01:57 AM
This will be good when your eyes will start behaving like a TV and you will watch your morning news in the toilet(which has been a long wish for everyone to save time). And you will watch your favorite movie or football match when you are in a train.
Posted by: Cheap Contact Lenses | January 13, 2010 at 03:21 PM
This is just mind-blowing! It can be the breakthrough in the optometry and digital industries as well. It's advisable to wear one if it will be proven safe to everyone. And if that comes to full bloom, everyone's lives would be easier. You can watch anything you want and do some household chores at the same time!
Posted by: Vincent Davis | February 16, 2012 at 11:27 PM