Introduction to Augmented Reality
The concept of mixing the digital and real world could have a number of applications, from entertainment to training. However, current augmented and virtual reality headsets are bulky and limited. A startup is now promising a more seamless experience because of smart contact lenses. Despite the recent buzz across the metaverse, the thought that we are going to soon be using VR headsets to spend large amounts of our lives in virtual worlds still seems somewhat fantastical given the present state of the technology.
The Potential of Augmented Reality
Augmented reality (AR), by which digital elements are overlaid on a user’s view of the true world, could have more practical and near-term possibilities. AR headsets like Microsoft’s Hololens 2 and Google’s Glass are already getting used by corporations like Toyota and Boeing to assist repair cars or construct planes faster. More recently, startup Magic Leap pivoted away from constructing a consumer-focused headset to targeting medical and defense applications.
Limitations of Current AR Headsets
Although they’re already proving useful, AR headsets struggle with some common problems. They’re bulky and expensive, they provide a limited field of view, and maybe most significantly, nobody desires to be seen wearing them in public. These limitations have hindered the widespread adoption of AR technology, making it essential to develop more discreet and user-friendly devices.
Smart Contact Lenses: A Solution to AR Limitations
Silicon Valley startup Mojo Vision thinks it may solve these problems with a wise contact lens that sits inconspicuously on the attention and beams images directly into wearers’ retinas. The company’s latest prototype finally has all of the ingredients to make its vision a reality. The latest Mojo Lens prototype accelerates the event of Invisible Computing, a next-generation computing experience where information is on the market and presented only when needed.
Technology Behind the Smart Contact Lens
Making this possible required some significant technological breakthroughs. Right at the middle of the lens is a microLED display just 0.5 millimeters across, but with a pixel density of 14,000 per square inch. This might be used to project text, graphics, and even high-resolution video onto the wearer’s retina each indoors and outdoors. Around the rim of the lens is an array of other electronics, including a custom-designed chip with a radio that streams content to the display and quite a lot of sensors, including an accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer for tracking the user’s eye movements.
Controlling the Device
The eye tracking capability not only ensures that AR imagery holds still because the user looks around, but additionally makes it possible to manage the device through eye movements alone. The lens also hasn’t yet been cleared by the FDA for human use, so early demonstrations involve searching through a lens on a stick just in front of the attention. At present, it is simply capable of manufacturing images in a green monochrome.
Potential Applications
According to CNET, the device allows a user to pick quite a lot of apps arranged in a hoop across the periphery of their visual field using nothing greater than their gaze. These make it possible to do all the pieces from checking flight information to using a compass to navigate and track fitness data like heart rate and lap number. Unlike most of its competitors, the corporate is specifically targeting consumer use cases, which it sees as a natural fit for its inconspicuous form factor.
Conclusion
While the lens may have to attend for FDA approval before it may be made commercially available, the corporate says its own employees will start testing the device in-house very soon, with CEO Drew Perkins volunteering to be the primary guinea pig. That suggests a way forward for seamless and inconspicuous AR is probably not too far-off. The development of smart contact lenses like Mojo Vision’s could revolutionize the best way we interact with digital information, making it more accessible and convenient than ever before. As the technology continues to advance, we are able to expect to see more revolutionary applications of AR in various fields, from entertainment to education and beyond.
