DARPA Works On Virtual Reality Contact Lenses

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DARPA Works On Virtual Reality Contact Lenses

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday February 1, 2012 @06:22PM from the seeing-through-new-eyes dept.

gManZboy writes "Binoculars and night-vision goggles have their limits. So DARPA is doing work at Washington-based Innovega iOptiks to create wearable eye lenses with tiny, full-color displays onto which digital images can be projected, to give soldiers better situational awareness. The lenses would allow users to focus simultaneously on images that are both close up (perhaps a display) and far away (perhaps a battlefield.) Using virtual reality technologies to improve how soldiers perform on the battlefield has been a particular interest of the U.S. military for some time."

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Hoo Boy. by The+Wild+Norseman · 2012-02-01 18:26 · Score: 5, Funny

iOptiks? Cue Apple lawsuits in 5... 4... 3...

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1. Re:Hoo Boy. by Lemmy+Caution · 2012-02-01 21:36 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Ah, it's the Apple of your Eye.
It starts with lenses, next will be implants... by kawabago · 2012-02-01 18:28 · Score: 5, Funny

then we will all become Borg!
1. Re:It starts with lenses, next will be implants... by techno-vampire · 2012-02-01 18:55 · Score: 4, Informative
  
  I already have optical implants. They got rid of my astigmatism and changed me from being intensly near sighted to being slightly farsighted. I still need reading glasses for close up work, but it's a lot better than it was before I got them, especially when you take into account the cataracts I used to have.
  
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2. Re:It starts with lenses, next will be implants... by MadKeithV · 2012-02-01 20:07 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  then we will all become Borg!
  You have beautiful eyes, baby. Where did you buy them?
3. Re:It starts with lenses, next will be implants... by gl4ss · 2012-02-01 22:21 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  chiba.
  http://project.cyberpunk.ru/lib/burning_chrome/
  
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Re:Contacts by nzac · 2012-02-01 18:33 · Score: 3, Insightful

I would assume its possible to shape them the same as normal contact and if they are not too thick it would be trivial to do so.
It would be a replacement.
Short on details by Undead+Waffle · 2012-02-01 18:37 · Score: 3, Interesting

The article doesn't really give details on how it works. It sounds like these are just contacts you can project images onto. If that's true then you need a projector somewhere pointed at the eye. If that's true why bother with a projector rather than just using a pair of glasses? I'm not really seeing the advantage to this technology other than to say "hey we projected something directly onto someone's eye!"
Unless I'm mistaken and these have their own power source or something, which would be quite impressive.
1. Re:Short on details by 93+Escort+Wagon · 2012-02-01 18:57 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  Professor Babak Parviz has done some early work along these lines. Sounds like it might be some sort of inductive loop powering the circuits in the lens, with the external source being worn on your clothing or some headgear.
  The article linked also touches on the question I immediately had about this - how do you produce an image or text on a contact lens that's legible to the wearer? If you think about elementary optics, you quickly realize having something in focus on the lens is not the same thing as having it in focus at some point beyond the lens. Basically it sounds like you need to have extremely thin corrective lenses built into the contact itself so the displayed item will be in focus on your retina.
  
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2. Re:Short on details by artor3 · 2012-02-01 18:59 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  It looks like it may be similar to Innovega's display at CES. Details (heavy in the marketing gloss) are available here.
  To summarize, the human eye is pretty bad at focusing on things nearby. Close one eye and hold your hand a couple inches in front of the other, and you'll see what I mean. In order to get around this so far, all the augmented reality glasses you refer to need to use some tricks to make it seem like the image is farther away than it really is. This makes the screens bulkier, more expensive, etc. The idea here is to create a contact lens onto which you can project an image so that it gets superimposed on one's vision, in focus, without any trickery, thus simplifying the design and allowing the AR devices to be lighter, cheaper, maybe use less power, and so on.
  As to how well it works, I have no idea. The info I linked to is quite obviously intended to attract investors and should be taken with a grain of salt. But if DARPA is working in the same vein, that would lend it some support.
3. Re:Short on details by zalas · 2012-02-01 19:40 · Score: 3, Informative
  
  From their diagram, it looks like each contact lens is composed of two lenses. Imagine making a tiny little lens that focuses a very close micro-display onto the retina and a normal sized contact lens for every-day use. Cut out the middle of the normal contact lens and insert this tiny little lens. You'll essentially have two "scenes" superimposed on your eye -- one focused on the micro-display and one focused on the surrounding environment. I imagine getting rid of aberrations on the tiny little lens is going to be very tricky and thus the resolution/image-quality of the entire display system might be quite limited. Another issue that's not so serious would be that your defocus bokeh would be kind of strange...
Re:Why? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-01 18:38 · Score: 3, Informative

DARPA sets ambitious goals in order to make faster progress.
To all you nitpickers: by Zanterian · 2012-02-01 19:08 · Score: 5, Insightful

First you make it possible,
then you make it practical.
Re:Why? by EdIII · 2012-02-01 19:35 · Score: 5, Funny

DARPA sets ambitious goals in order to make faster progress.
How do ambitious goals make faster progress?
With that logic I hereby set as a goal to get laid by no less than three hot celebrities by the end of the week; Eva Mendes, Jessica Alba, and that volcanic hot blonde from Chuck.
Accordingly this means that progress will be achieved faster and I should get laid by a reasonably good looking, conscious and otherwise not impaired, healthy woman by the end of the month.
I'll let you know how that works out.
Re:Vernor Vinge fans? by vlad30 · 2012-02-01 20:05 · Score: 4, Interesting

I'd say someone watched torchwood

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Re:Saccades? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-02-01 20:17 · Score: 5, Funny

You have a very high minded view of the average soldier. I'd expect most grunts to be surfing the *other* side of the net...

"We're taking fire from, uh hold on a sec, YEAH BABY, TAKE IT OFF RIGHT NOW! Be with you real soon, sarge!"
Nah, he's talking about injected ads. In the near future, we will be able to fund our military through corporate advertising.
So for example, when the soldier begins taking fire, the contacts can pop up a nice ad in full S3d.
Soldier comes under fire. A beautiful woman appears before him and begins to speak:
"Are you feeling anxious and stressed? For life's tough situations, Kevlar is there to help. With a full array of post-market body armor modifications, we are here to satisfy all your combat needs. Simply blink your left eye three times, then blink your right eye twice, and we'll send you a Free Sample of our newest line of ceramic plate insert."
Solder, distracted by the woman, takes three rounds to the right leg and falls down. The woman vanishes, and a man wearing a white lab coat appears.
"Are you feeling dizzy, having trouble standing, or suffering from severe pain in the legs? Try Band-Aid Brand (TM) disposables Field Dressings and Compresses. For those rough spots when the competition can't cut the Mustard Gas, you know you can rely on Band-Aid."
Soldier, bleeding heavily and unable to move, begins to lose consciousness. His vital signs trigger another ad:
"Life has enough worries without having to deal with more once you're dead. Smith Mortuary and Post-Life Services, INC is here to satisfy all your family's needs. Simply roll your eyes back in your skull, and we'll send you a free pamphlet and a coupon good for a Free Consultation on setting up a living will. And for the low-low price of $99.99 we can file your Last Will & Testament right now. (some restrictions apply not valid in all states this is not an offer to solicit medical or legal advice smith mortuary and post-life services, inc. is not responsible for incomplete wills due to combat fatigue, death, or unexpected injury) CALL NOW"
Re:Just wondering by unkiereamus · 2012-02-01 23:02 · Score: 3, Informative

I've never worn contacts on the battlefield, but I have worn them in BFE, Honduras for extended periods while doing medical work, and I can say this, if you're comfortable with contacts (ie. have trained yourself out of rubbing your eyes, your eyes produce enough extra tears to keep them moist, etc) and they're even vaguely breathable (think of the ads which claim you don't have to take your contacts out at night), you can pretty much completely ignore them for days and weeks at a time with no serious issues.

Now, whether or not that holds true once you make them capable of running a display, I dunno.

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