Terminator Eyes: Hi-tech contact lenses show texts and maps
Imagine texting while driving, or placing a call while showering, without holding your phone in your hands. It’s not sci-fi any more – a new technology allows information like text messages and driving directions to be projected onto a contact lens.
The hardware behind this invention is a spherical curved LCD display that can fit into a contact lens, developed by Ghent University’s Centre of Microsystems Technology in Belgium.
“This is not science fiction,” chief researcher for the project Jelle De Smet told the Telegraph. “This will never replace the cinema screen for films. But for specific applications it may be interesting to show images such as road directions or projecting text messages from our smart phones straight to our eye.”
These lenses may hit the market within the next few years. In an upgrade from previous models, a new LCD display allows the entire curved surface of the lens to be used.
Earlier versions were based on LEDs, where the display resolution would be limited to only a small number of pixels.
The University of Washington has also been developing new generation of contact lenses that would receive emails and would be able to project information from the Internet, much like in the movie ‘Terminator.’
Other uses of the lens include the concept of adaptable sunglasses – the contact lenses would darken on exposure to light. The lenses could also be used in the fields of medicine and cosmetics.
These advances mark the push for a much wider development of the technology, with the aim of creating a fully pixelated contact lens display as detailed as a television screen.
Tech giants such as Google and Apple have been working to develop similar technology. This past year, Google introduced Project Glass – frames for eyeglasses that project a small computer display into a person’s field of vision. Apple has reportedly patented similar innovations.
Find out more: RT
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Dec 13, 2012 @ 16:00:36
Yeah but they didn't told that at this state the user cant read anything cause its still to blurry ^^…the still a long way to go.
Dec 13, 2012 @ 22:58:03
Alien tech
Dec 13, 2012 @ 23:42:25
Holy cow this is freaking sweet!
Dec 14, 2012 @ 12:16:37
omg now I can finaly drive and myb watch a movie at the same time while texting and and with a call…
Dec 14, 2012 @ 12:41:57
Cool? no no no… Think of the wireless around your eyeballs… Cancer anyone?
Dec 15, 2012 @ 07:14:54
omg.. robots aren't going to take over the world, we're turning into the robots! I see you government.
Dec 15, 2012 @ 08:23:08
Oh joy another piece of cancerous tech, like we need the wifi exposure on our eyes. I can just see the incidence of eye cancer going through the roof after this has been released to the public. I wonder what are the long term effects on your sight if you don't get cancer first. Also as it is, it's hard enough getting a persons undivided attention since the smartphone, what's this going to cause?
Dec 24, 2012 @ 19:36:34
Where do you get this idea of cancer from?
Dec 24, 2012 @ 19:49:07
Silly humans.
Feb 02, 2013 @ 22:02:05
Ignorant people
Feb 14, 2013 @ 18:09:16
i sort of agree with you, nothing comes free on this world, everything have an adverse effect on us
Feb 26, 2013 @ 22:21:23
hey if you dont like it dont wear it. end of story.
Dec 15, 2012 @ 13:52:54
this is so friggin awesome! suck it haters!
Jan 02, 2013 @ 08:58:30
I sing while I shover, and I talk to people while I drive. Please, don't make me wear those.
Dec 17, 2012 @ 12:14:26
I wonder if this will be like a HUD type of display, or a complete overlay, and I can't help but wonder how distracting it will be for drivers…. like they aren't distracted enough…
Feb 03, 2013 @ 15:38:46
Maybe they will have an app for idiot drivers wearing these to alert them when they are driving 85 mph with 3 feet of space between them and the car in front of them.
Dec 21, 2012 @ 14:53:19
I cant wait sounds awesome.
Dec 23, 2012 @ 18:48:05
Yeah, cool… Let's continue to replace meaningful relationships with virtual ones. Nothing is as it seems anymore.
Feb 14, 2013 @ 20:31:16
Contacts you've got to be joking, I paid $2750 for lazik to get those things out of my eyes.
Feb 26, 2013 @ 22:25:22
would the map be like the grand theft auto map?
Apr 30, 2013 @ 16:26:45
Ray: I think Roxanna was extrapolating from what we now know about the link between cell phone use and brain tumors. Not sure if this tech would emit microwave radiation as cell phones do. If it does, Roxanna has a reason for concern.