A Liquid Crystal based Contact Lens Display

Switching of a contact lens shaped display. The contact lens is still transparent but is able to modulate the transmitted light using LCD technology. Direct applications could be medical, as an artificial iris, or cosmetic, as an iris with tunable color, or it just could serve as a gimmick. The dollar sign is a reference to the many cartoons featuring people/figures with dollars in their eyes :)

When worn, the image would only be visible to bystanders, since the eye cannot focus on objects in such a close proximity. Research is currently being performed to solve the focusing problem and to see whether an embedded contact lens display that can be seen by the lens wearer is feasible.

For more information, contact me using the email address mentioned in the video.

All work was performed in the Centre for Microsystems Technology, Ghent University, Belgium.

Music: Warpfish by Warakie

Additional comment:

Dear All,

This video was originally made to demonstrate the state of our technology to other partners, while also being a test to use new media channels as a promotional tool. If I had known it would go semi-viral, I would of course have payed more attention to it. So, to clear some things out:

1. The music choice is controversial, but to avoid licensing problems I used the music of a friend. Probably there were better choices but, as with all art, it does remain a subjective issue.
2. The dollar sign is a reference to cartoon figures, not to my potential wealth or greed. I am a scientist/engineer at first, not a VC.
3. I do not own a professional camera nor have a well-lit studio, but most quality was lost during editing and conversion. If you want to help out, please feel free to do so.

As for the scientific comments, I try to be as clear as possible to what the technology really stands for. Seeing the emotions it stirs up, I do know I should keep on pursuing this research.

All the best,

Jelle.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[gedux123]

Shut up and take my money!

[dasistallesmisthier]

Develop a LC based contact lens, cant take video in HD...

[FunOfTheChase]

The developers put a dollar sign in the display because they know that's what's coming with this tech.

[Dedsend]

That's why they have antennas, radio chips, control circuitry, and micrometre-scale light sources integrated into the contact lens.. For more details about this new technology, Google for Babak Praviz of the University of Washington in Seattle ;)

[123WestSt]

I hope you all know that this would never work. First if you put it in you would need wires from you eye to your computer, and also you wouldn't be able to focus on it. Put your finger an inch from your eye and see if you can focus!!

[DrSooomebody]

No, just no.

[XPiquemal]

i agree with what you said, but when talking about technology... we should never say: 'never' ;)

[hellterminator]

Stop thinking of reasons why it can't work and focus on ways how to make it work.

It's simple optics. How "far" something is, is determined by the angel under which the light reflected from it enters your eye. All we need to do is make the light enter your eye under the correct angle. LCD is probably not the right technology. We need something more like hundreds of tiny lasers pointed in the right direction. The image will then appear hovering in front of you.

Don't be so negative!

[Sailor Barsoom]

"But who would want to do that."

I used to date a girl who would maybe want to do that. Her natural eyes failed her when she was a baby. Some robot eyes connected to her brain might come in real handy.

Anything you see is from light which passes through the cornea and lens of your eye. What they have to do is get the light from their contact to enter your eye at the same angle as light from a screen 2 feet away. It wouldn't form a clear image you'd focus on; it would recreate the right angles.

[cashflowization]

Yes, you are. What does technology advancing have to do with the fact that our eyes are not able to function in a way that would make these specific lenses useful? If they want to accomplish such a thing as messaging our eyes, they might as well start developing ways to replace our eyeballs with robot eyeballs and connecting them to our brain. But who would want to do that.

[Sailor Barsoom]

Because of course the technology will never improve. That's why cell phones still cost $3000 and look like a brick. We'll never be able to play video games on them, or use them to check e-mail.

SO stupid.

[marc-andré lacroix]

its for the other person to see it