Is the idea of looking nerdy in futuristic glasses keeping you from embracing Google Glass? Fret no further. According to MIT Technology Review, a team of researchers from mostly Korean institutes, including Samsung, have made a breakthrough on a less conspicuous intelligent eyewear solution – electronic contact lenses.
The team has tested their prototypes on rabbits – since their eyes are about the same size as ours – and found no negative effects after five hours of use. A light-emitting diode, or LED, was mounted on store-bought soft contact lenses using a transparent, stretchy conductor that they developed.
Of course, electronic contact lenses have been around for some time now. Sensimed, a Swiss producer of micro-systems for medical devices, offers contact lenses that monitor pressure fluctuation in the eyes for glaucoma treatment. Google Glass project founder Babak Parviz and other researchers also have managed to develop contact lens displays.
The difference is that those lenses are rigid or non-transparent, making for an uncomfortable experience. Although still in its infancy, the Korean team's conductor may become a necessary component in developing comfortable electronic contact lenses in future.
