iOptiks contact lenses project 3D images right into the eyeball

Augmented Reality has become a massive topic of research these days. The hype is all about the applications of this technology. Designers and engineers draw inspiration from science fiction movies. If we recall the movie Minority Report, the first thing that strikes our mind is Tom Cruise wearing lenses that delivered information. Various gadgets, goggles and head mounted displays etc. have already been made taking inspiration from sci-fi movies, but the idea of incorporating 3D vision in a lens sounds novel. US based company Innovega has announced that they would be releasing 3D focusing contact lenses by the year 2014.

The company claims that these lenses would project 3D images on the eyeball. The lenses work with a pair of handy spectacles which serves as a translucent screen. The contact lens would serve as virtual 240 inches screen television being viewed from a distance of 10 feet. These lenses can be synced with your smartphone, tablet or gaming console to display high resolution close-up images. Users can also switch to augmented view that delivers translucent images without blocking the vision. The company is developing similar lenses for American soldiers, which would display battlefield related data.

DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has also been spending a lot of money to develop head mounted displays and now it is working with Innovega on iOptik lenses. These high focus lenses are produced using nanoscale engineering processes hence are very light. DARPA is credited for developing first virtual reality based devices. But all those devices were either head mounted or based on heavy pair of glasses. iOptik would be a big technology breakthrough, considering the number of contact lens users worldwide.

Via: Dailymail