The next revolution in Augmented Reality (AR) seems to be smart contact lenses, it’s not just science fiction anymore. American startup Mojo Vision recently demonstrated, a lens integrating many technologies, including a small screen. These lenses allow the wearer to enjoy content, images and text, superimposed on the surrounding real-world environment. The very first prototype from Mojo Lens is finally operational. [1]

Figure 1. Smart Contact Lens are the Future of AR

Figure 1 shows the startup’s CEO, Drew Perkins, was able to experience the innovation first-hand. “Turns out, the future is a lot closer than most people think. In fact, the future is already here. I’ve seen it. I’ve worn it," he wrote on the company blog. In this case, he served as a guinea pig for the very first demonstration of this new smart contact lens technology, providing access to practical, contextualized information.

More than six years of work and development went into building this working prototype. Major challenges included the miniaturization of all the embedded electronics, and creating new components as well as an adapted user interface. Today, this is no longer science fiction. [2]

The Mojo Lens features a 0.5mm diameter MicroLED display with a pixel density of 14,000 pixel-per-inch (PPI) and a distance between pixels, or pixel pitch, of 1.8 micrometers, making it the world's smallest and densest display for viewing dynamic content. It incorporates a custom ARM Core M0 processor and 5GHz radio to allow it to stream AR content and transmit data to and from the lens.

Medical-grade micro-batteries power the Mojo Lens, and its eye tracking functionality allows users to interact with the system without hand movements or gesture controls. With the first human test of the complete Mojo Lens prototype successful, Mojo Vision hopes to refine the product for further clinical trials before seeking FDA approval to market the final product. [3]

The latest prototype of the Mojo Lens, unveiled in March, looks like a combination of a traditional contact lens and a microchip. 

Packed into the tiny piece of tech is the smallest and densest dynamic display in the world, as well as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a magnetometer. There’s eye-tracking tech, medical-grade micro batteries, and custom communications chips. [4]

References:

1. https://www.electronicsforu.com/news/new-products/smart-contact-lens-are-the-future-of-ar
2. https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/smart-contact-lenses-for-augmented-reality-vision-are-here-to-show-you-the-future-5505481.htm
3. https://www.tweaktown.com/news/87168/ar-capable-smart-contact-lens-trialed-ceo-saw-the-future/index.html
4. https://www.freethink.com/technology/smart-contact-lens

Cite this article:

TThanusri swetha J (2022), Smart Contact Lens are the Future of AR, Anatechmaz, pp.221