Smart contact lenses that can take photos, record videos, and display information have been a sci-fi trope for a while now, but tech companies are taking the idea very seriously these days.
In fact, Sony, Google, and Samsung have patented designs for smart contact lenses that do all those functions—and more.
The basic idea for the camera functions is that they would be controlled by a sensor that detects eyelid movement and communicates wirelessly with the wearer’s smartphone. Google specifically wants to produce an “augmented reality” lens similar to their Google Lens app, which displays information about the things, places, and people it sees. The tech giant even partnered with Novartis to produce a trial lens by 2016, but the latter backed out of the project.
Sony’s patent for its smart contact lens, which has raised concerns about privacy breaches from industry watchdogs, was published by Gizbot last year, and it looks like something out of the sci-fi show, Black Mirror.
Scroll down to watch Mashable’s video about the latest advances in smart lens technology.
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