The Californian company has managed to integrate microelectronics in soft contact lenses. Technology should allow the use of smart contact lenses, and even considering the possibility of augmented reality.
What if you have a light, full featured AR glasses, it would be even better if you do not have to wear eyeglasses. That’s why companies are now investing in the next technological revolution: contact lenses with augmented reality.
Startup Mojo Vision funded nearly 160 million U.S. dollars, is working on related technology and have already applied for approval from the US authorities. Therefore, electronic contact lenses is not science fiction.
New in the invention of the company Inwith is the inclusion of electrical circuits in commercially available soft contact lenses. Mojo Vision, on the other hand, uses the so-called scleral lenses, which are harder, thicker and less comfortable.
Startup Inwith was developed through the creation of flexible microelectronics that can grow and shrink during the production of contact lenses. The following video demonstrates this flexibility.
Entering the market in the near future
This breakthrough is designed to create smart contact lenses that help people with eyesight problems and improve vision or add digital elements.
Technical lens receives energy from the blink of the eye. Inwith has a corresponding patent. The startup had also invented the container that contact lenses can be recharged when not in use, similar to a Bluetooth headset, only liquid.
On electronic lens must fit a function, e.g. the chip to exchange data with the smartphone. | Image: Inwith
In 2020 Inwith announced a partnership with Bausch & Lomb, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of contact lenses and has since been working on its implementation.
It is expected that this technology will be available in the near future. For large production volumes, the price should be at the level of ordinary contact lenses. Technical lenses for augmented reality will also require a display technology designed specifically for soft lenses.
