Contact Lenses with Virtual Graphics

Contact lenses with built-in graphics

A contact lens that harvests radio waves to power an LED is paving the way for a new kind of display. The lens is a prototype of a device that could display information beamed from a mobile device. Realising that display size is increasingly a constraint in mobile devices, Babak Parviz at the University of Washington, in Seattle, hit on the idea of projecting images into the eye from a contact lens.

I'm not entirely sure if this is a "good" thing for the general population, but it does show technology in progress. Looks like we may end up with a Terminator-like display in front of our eyes.

This is probably the coolest thing I've read on ATS in a long time.

This application has such promise that it is hard to imagine all the areas of life it might impact.

We are all used to reading exaggerated promises of the future that never materialize, but I'd bet a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that this will find military applications within a decade.

Then the sky's the limit.

[edit on 2009/11/13 by GradyPhilpott]

Really cool! Augmented reality has always been fascinating for me. How cool would it be to just glance at something, and instantly get to read information about what appears in front of your eyes.

Hmm, I wonder if they could make my very own in eye targeting system.

Hell, maybe I'll have Google straight from my eyeball so I can be the life of the party. I'll never run out of jokes now!

reply to post by weathernut


There are so many possibilities with this. You could surf the internet from anywhere, no need for a laptop. Well, a keyboard would still be necessary I suppose, unless it had voice/word recognition built in, in which case you could just say a word and it would bring up the search. It would also be cool to have a navigation system visible in front of you while you're driving. It sucks having to look down at the screen to see where to next. Or while going through a museum you could just glance at a painting or statue, and it would project the information about the artwork in front of your eyes. Information accessible at all times. Who knows what the uses could be school-wise for kids. I'm sure I'll think of more as the day goes by.

I hope they make something like this in glasses form. My green eyes are so sensitive I can't even go outside during the day without sunglasses on, no matter the weather. I could never wear contacts.

[edit on 13-11-2009 by Raverous]

Originally posted by Raverous
My green eyes are so sensitive I can't even go outside during the day without sunglasses on, no matter the weather. I could never wear contacts.

I know plenty of people who wear contacts and plano sunglasses with no problem.

Do you have some aggravating condition?

I saw that on Discovery7 together with other technologies like "printing" organs. Instead of ink they use cells and print them in the 3dimensional way. C R A Z Y technology

Haven't heard of the printing organs story, but will look it up. Sounds great, and reminds me of the movie "The 5th Element".

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott

Originally posted by Raverous
My green eyes are so sensitive I can't even go outside during the day without sunglasses on, no matter the weather. I could never wear contacts.

I know plenty of people who wear contacts and plano sunglasses with no problem.

Do you have some aggravating condition?

Extreme light sensitivity and if anything touches them they water a lot and it looks like I'm crying. Iv been this way for years, its just something Iv learned to live with. I went to the doctor when I first noticed it and they basically said "Good luck with that"