The Contact Lens That Could Turn You Into a Camera

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It’s straight out of a television show: contact lenses that can virtually turn the wearer into a computer. Less invasive than a microchip in the brain and less bulky than an actual computer, smart contact lenses could literally change how we see the world—and how it sees us.

It’s not just an abstraction: Several medical companies are filing patents for lenses that could do everything from release allergy-relief medication to monitor a wearer’s biometric data. Here’s what else the next frontier of wearables could do.

Health Is in the Eye of the Beholder

We already have contact lenses that contain more than one prescription, enabling the wearer to adjust her focus depending on the distance from the object she is viewing—similar to bifocal or progressive-lens glasses. There are also contact lenses that can correct for color blindness, customized for the specific level and type the wearer suffers from. Though groundbreaking, these innovations are still analog; digital additions to contacts might make those existing advances obsolete.

The University of Wisconsin is working on a lens that uses light sensors and tiny power sources to autofocus, much like a camera would, on whatever the wearer is looking at. New studies are testing lenses that can track the progress of glaucoma with tiny sensors. And within a couple of years, patients with diabetes could see lenses that measure glucose levels in eye fluids.

These health-oriented lenses could be a crucial part of care plans for patients with chronic diseases—a noninvasive technology able to collect and record biometric data continuously and alert doctors wirelessly if anything seems amiss.

Always On

Patents have already been filed for contact lenses that can take pictures and record videos of whatever the wearer is looking at—actions that would be controlled by the wearer’s blinking. (The inventors say that the lens would be able to tell the difference between involuntary and intentional blinking.) Meanwhile, the University of Michigan is working on a lens that contains thermal imaging technology, essentially giving the wearer night vision.

The implications are staggering. That functionality would no doubt be wildly helpful for some, while unsettling for others. How will privacy be regulated if contact lenses with recording capacity go mainstream? How will law enforcement take advantage of these technologies, for better or for worse? Will our social norms be completely upended if everyone’s worried that they’re being recorded at all times? There’s no question that if the technology enjoys widespread adoption, new legislation will be required.

A Whole New Lens

Smart contact lenses could also be the next frontier for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Patents are already being filed by tech giants and mixed-reality innovators alike for technologies that allow contact lenses to project virtual objects or video directly onto the wearer’s eye. Controlled through the wearer’s smartphone, one version could essentially offer a discreet way to view content available on the web without having to look at an actual screen.

Another version of an augmented-reality lens would project virtual objects into the wearer’s field of vision and environment, much like mixed-reality headsets do now. While the object is being projected, another process would work with the light entering the lens to “focus” on that object.

Health Is in the Eye of the Beholder

We already have contact lenses that contain more than one prescription, enabling the wearer to adjust her focus depending on the distance from the object she is viewing—similar to bifocal or progressive-lens glasses. There are also contact lenses that can correct for color blindness, customized for the specific level and type the wearer suffers from. Though groundbreaking, these innovations are still analog; digital additions to contacts might make those existing advances obsolete.

The University of Wisconsin is working on a lens that uses light sensors and tiny power sources to autofocus, much like a camera would, on whatever the wearer is looking at. New studies are testing lenses that can track the progress of glaucoma with tiny sensors. And within a couple of years, patients with diabetes could see lenses that measure glucose levels in eye fluids.

These health-oriented lenses could be a crucial part of care plans for patients with chronic diseases—a noninvasive technology able to collect and record biometric data continuously and alert doctors wirelessly if anything seems amiss.

Always On

Patents have already been filed for contact lenses that can take pictures and record videos of whatever the wearer is looking at—actions that would be controlled by the wearer’s blinking. (The inventors say that the lens would be able to tell the difference between involuntary and intentional blinking.) Meanwhile, the University of Michigan is working on a lens that contains thermal imaging technology, essentially giving the wearer night vision.

The implications are staggering. That functionality would no doubt be wildly helpful for some, while unsettling for others. How will privacy be regulated if contact lenses with recording capacity go mainstream? How will law enforcement take advantage of these technologies, for better or for worse? Will our social norms be completely upended if everyone’s worried that they’re being recorded at all times? There’s no question that if the technology enjoys widespread adoption, new legislation will be required.

A Whole New Lens

Smart contact lenses could also be the next frontier for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Patents are already being filed by tech giants and mixed-reality innovators alike for technologies that allow contact lenses to project virtual objects or video directly onto the wearer’s eye. Controlled through the wearer’s smartphone, one version could essentially offer a discreet way to view content available on the web without having to look at an actual screen.

Another version of an augmented-reality lens would project virtual objects into the wearer’s field of vision and environment, much like mixed-reality headsets do now. While the object is being projected, another process would work with the light entering the lens to “focus” on that object.

Widespread adoption of lenses that can do what AR and VR headsets do now could help push AR and VR into the mainstream. Resistance to the new technologies typically has to do with the bulkiness of the equipment and the discomfort of heavy headsets. But what would it mean for social interactions and norms if people were able to use the internet invisibly at any time? During a conversation, they could secretly run a search about the person they’re talking to, look something up and view the results, or start watching a video. The technology could distort our perceptions of in-person intimacy and connection on an even more profound level than the smartphone did.

These new lens technologies will require considerations for privacy and data security—as well as for basic safety. You wouldn’t want someone tuning into a television show while they’re driving. But by then, maybe self-driving cars will be doing the job for us.