A Computer Display in a Contact Lens

[Recusant]

I think this was inevitable given early examples of similar augmented reality (AR) technology, like Google Glass.

"The making of Mojo, AR contact lenses that give your eyes superpowers" | Fast Company

This audacious idea is part of a much larger trend. In the coming decade, it's likely that our computing devices will become more personal and reside closer to—or even inside—our bodies. Our eyes are the logical next stop on the journey. Tech giants such as Apple and Facebook are just now trying to build AR glasses that are svelte enough to wear for extended periods. But Mojo is skipping over the glasses idea entirely, opting for the much more daunting goal of fitting the necessary microcomponents into contact lenses.

[. . .]

I had no idea that displays not much bigger than a grain of sand even existed. But there it was, under the view of a microscope, displaying an image of Albert Einstein sticking his tongue out at me. Mojo's newest and smallest display, it squeezes 70,000 pixels into a space that's less than half a millimeter across.

This display is the centerpiece of the Mojo lens. It's positioned directly in front of the pupil, so that it projects and focuses light toward a specific area of the retina at the back of the eye. The display is so small and so close that the eye can scarcely see it. At least in the beginning, its quality will be more utilitarian than aesthetically pleasing—you don't need stunning quality to perform tasks such as display weather information.

[Continues . . .]

[Icarus]

Evil, evil. Man was never meant to fly

[Randy]

I guess the lenses are powered by electricity produced by the body. It doesn't say but I'm fairly certain there aren't any wires connecting a lens to a battery pack in one's pocket. This could be a boon if they have enough apps for the consumer to pick and choose.

[Recusant]

I guess the lenses are powered by electricity produced by the body. It doesn't say but I'm fairly certain there aren't any wires connecting a lens to a battery pack in one's pocket. This could be a boon if they have enough apps for the consumer to pick and choose.

That would be very cool. You'd have to have an efficient means of converting kinetic energy into electricity at either a microscopic scale or using transparent materials. Or perhaps some variation of wireless charging technology. Those are just blue-sky hypotheses of my own--sadly the reality is slightly more mundane, even if it is an amazing feat of miniaturization/low power use. From the article:

At first the lenses will be powered by a tiny thin-film, solid-state battery within the lens. Sinclair says the battery is meant to last all day and will charge in a small case that's something like an AirPods case. Eventually, the lenses might get their power wirelessly from a thin device that hangs loosely around the neck like a necklace.

[Randy]

My guess is that wireless power would be a challenge. Air isn't a good conductor of electricity. I can see a battery in the eyepiece itself that can be recharged overnight. I'm surprised I missed that quote.