Electrical contact lenses created for in-eye displays
Life through a lens
While many of the gadgets that Register Hardware writes about have us shouting 'cool!' and 'I want one of those', there are a few that make us scream 'Cyborg!' However, news of a contact lens that acts like a heads-up display inside the wear’s eye made us feel a little uneasy.
The prototype lens has been developed by boffins at the University of Washington (UoW) and incorporates electronic circuits and red LEDs, although it doesn’t show a display yet. It was recently tested on a little bunny rabbit’s eye though, without ill-effects.
UoW's bionic contact lens
Virtual displays have already been introduced into cars to show drivers, say, their current speed without looking away from the road. However, the UoW’s assistant professor of electrical engineering, Babak Parviz, said that the potential for in-eye displays is extremely promising: "Looking through a completed lens, you would see what the display is generating superimposed on the world outside."
UoW boffins hope to power the lens through a combination of radio-frequency power and solar cells placed on the lens. Once completed, this could open the doors for the UoW to show a small and basic display on the lens for the first time.
The lens could have literally thousands of applications. Gamers could use it to totally immerse themselves in a video game, movie fans could watch a film whilst sitting in a coffee shop and die-hard fans of The Terminator could use it to act like a T-800.
If you’re dying to get your, erm, eyes of a virtual display then you’ll just have to put up with the Cinemizer display goggles for the time being though.
COMMENTS
Power levels?
IT'S OVER 9000!!!
Internet memes aside, this could be a very interesting prospect, I wear contacts or glasses, so it would be different to see the world with a digital HUD.
Once the functions are increased, it could probably even do tiny things, like to check for suspicious arm movements (if you're a bodyguard/secret service agent) or even stupid stuff like tally petrol prices on the road to check on later to find which one sold at the cheapest price.
Losing one at the back of your eye might hurt though, and dropping it in the street would be expensive...
I just hope it doesn't my current health level or weapon ammo remaining, then that'd be a little too scary...
I WANT THIS
I do not care if the turns me into a cyborge it rocks
Bit of a bummer if you wear contacts already though ...
I don't, since I hate the idea of sticking my finger in my eye, but you get the general idea.
On the other hand, give me a non-clunky solution which will stick a HUD on my specs and I'll be right in there. The Cinemizer(sic) goggles don't count, largely because they look fecking awful!
Paging Captain Cyborg, paging Captain Cyborg ...
That is so f88king cool!
Now all we need is the virtual John Madden add-on, and he can use his light pen to point out all the potential hazards as we walk down the street.
"You can see here Al that this car has its reverse lights on but has yet to move. Keep an eye on that one. But don't overlook that kid on the rollerblades coming towards you. He might just decide to cut block you and BAM! You're not going to drinking that latte you've got your mind set on!"
Why can't the future be now!
