Belgian Researchers Build LCD Contact Lenses

First time accepted submitter nickvad writes "The Belgian Centre for Microsystems Technology has built a spherical LCD display in a contact lens. The technology is groundbreaking and holds a wide range of applications from medical to cosmetic applications and more. The LCD technology has the potential to be used as a productivity or a social tool, paving the way for futuristic technological innovations like Google Glass."

Comments

Oh yeah baby!

[Johann Lau]

People talking into headsets while walking down the street just isn't creepy enough.

Re:Oh yeah baby!

[Hartree]

Oh, but wait till it hits the anime cons.

Hoards of catgirl cosplayers now with animated catseye contacts.

Re:Oh yeah baby!

[mcgrew]

If if's and but's

Please educate me and reduce my ignorance -- why are those apostrophes there?

Massive summary and editorial fail

[Anonymous Coward]

It is not similar at all to Google Glass. From the article:

The display is not intended for the wearer of the lens to view – the human eye would be unable to focus on such a close-up object – and it would only be seen by others

As for the actual purpose, well, you'll just have to RTFA... :)

Re:Massive summary and editorial fail

[Guignol]

You don't have to RTFA to find out
The hilarious video makes it quite clear:
The intent is to reproduce tex avery cartoon like effects over people's eyes showing money signs when they see something valueable or some potential client/victim
This is huge, the next step it to force car dealers lawyers etc. to wear them, and ideally the dollars signs should be visible at the apropriate moment (when they are just about to screw you), but for a very good and cheap first approximation, it would work by letting them on all the time

Oblig

[Jimbob The Mighty]

"Why is it called the eyePhone?"

focus

[Rockstar Rich G]

is it even possible to focus on a display that is literally on your cornea? I understand the 'light-adaptive sunglasses' application would not need a resolution, but if the intent is to deliver pixels of information, how feasible is this?

Re:focus

[Anonymous Coward]

Not focus _on_, but focus _with_ these contact lenses. Now that they have figured out how to make very thin spherical membranes (in the FA) with optical quality, these could be used for any number of other devices. I'm thinking of the holy grail of contact lenses--active focus (by adding or subtracting small amounts of fluid between two layers to change the lens.

Re:focus

[LordLucless]

is it even possible to focus on a display that is literally on your cornea

Nope. Despite what the summary says, this isn't intended to provide a view to the wearer at all. It's purely cosmetic - people looking at you could see dollar signs in your eyes, and you might be able to use your contacts as sunglasses.

Re:focus

[wierd_w]

That's most likely "floaters", and not dust on the cornea.

http://www.drhaefs.com/medical_eye_exam/eye_floaters.html

Essentially, they are sluffed off epithelial cells floating around in the humor inside your eyeballs.

Re:focus

[yamum]

... we've got contacts like that already for "bifocal" use -- and dynamically black out ...

Peril Sensitive Contacts?

Re:focus

[AK Marc]

The other thing I didn't realize until this is that it's common, but mainly as people age. I've had floaters as far back as I remember. I distinctly remember playing with floaters when I was under 10 years old. So I have a more uncommon kind that occurs in younger people. So I am still both uncommon and still not a freak. Good to know. Now hush, I'm playing with floaters. If you move your eye up slowly, then down rapidly, then up slowly, you can make the floaters climb higher in your field of vision.

...oh-kay.

[wierd_w]

about the best this could be useful as, is as a flash protection optical device. Couple a thin film photocell to the LCD layer, so that a bright light automatically powers the LCD and dims the light that reaches the eye. That way it wouldn't need all that data bus hanging off of it.

For an image display? Useless. The focal distance is way too close for the human eye. The resolution sucks balls. Displaying an image would require a data bus, and I don't want that crap irritating my eyeballs by hanging out plastic ribbon cables.

For welding goggles? Kick ass!
Protecting soldiers from flash burned retinas? Kick ass!
Displaying swirlies on your eyeballs as a conversation piece? Dude, you have ribbon cables hanging out of your eyes.

Augmented reality? What the fuck are you smoking? I want some.

Re:...oh-kay.

[mcgrew]

For welding goggles? Kick ass!

No way. I took a welding class in college, and one day the instructor came in wearing a red and white stripped t shirt, and underneath were red and white stripes on his skin -- the rays from the arc welder had "sunburned" through the white stripes on his shirt.

Your eyes can get sunburned. Even worse, if a hot spark hits your eyeball, you're blind in that eye forever. Goggles and hoods are for more than just protecting your eyes from rays.

Are they soft lenses?

[CockMonster]

I tried out Rigid Gas Permeable lenses a few days ago and could only tolerate them for about 20 minutes. I've been wearing soft lenses for over 15 years. I can't see anyone tolerating that level of discomfort without a really really good reason.

Re:Are they soft lenses?

[Freultwah]

I've been wearing rigid lenses for about 24 years now, as I have a cylindrical vision defect that could not be corrected with soft lenses. I did not have lense conditioner solutions available back then, so I had to apply the lenses dry and therefore experienced slight discomfort at the beginning and they took a bit (about a week) of getting used to. There would have been no discomfort with the correct solutions. I have found rigid lenses cheaper, way more practical, useful, comfortable and easier to use and care for than soft lenses that I have also tried. Properly cared for, they can last forever – my personal best is nine years per lens and I only had to replace it because I lost it on a windy day – and by proper care I mean washing them once or twice a week. You don't have to worry about them absorbing some agent or preservative present in eye drops etc etc. All in all, much less crap to be dealt with day by day, with many times less money spent on upkeep.

But can they be made

[roc97007]

...peril sensitive?

Revenue stream

[PopeRatzo]

I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to sell my LCD contact lens space for advertising.

Every little bit helps.

The ultimate geek technology

[Caledfwlch]

Finally! We'll be able to get laid! We'll be able to display subliminal messaging in our eyes, the gateway to the soul, "Yeah baby, you want me! I'm sexy!"

Re:The ultimate geek technology

[Johann Lau]

It's LCD though, not LED. But I guess you could use it for the opposite, like fake dilated pupils when your boss hands you a memo. Or hey, why not send mixed signals by doing that only with one eye, kinda like going o_O

You may say that's silly, but surely it makes more sense than seeing blinking dollar signs... o_O

Sight video one step closer to reality

[Rashkae]

http://vimeo.com/46304267

Re:Sight video one step closer to reality

[DigiShaman]

10 years ago, I would have though this technical was badass! Now, I just find it disturbing in a societal way. I don't know. Maybe I find our elective reliance on technology to be intrusive to what it means to be "human". Cell phones, social media, personal vision stuff like this, it all feels so...so detached from reality.

Yes. I'm starting to question my geekness. I'm not sure I like where the future is headed.