In last April, Samsung reportedly had filed a patent for a
unique device: the smart contact lenses for augmented reality, which consisted
of a small screen, camera, RF antenna and a sensor for detecting eye movements.
Apparently Samsung is not the only manufacturer that's interested in creating a
similar device. Now Sony is also developing contact lenses that are able of
recording video.
Do you remember with Trevor Hanaway character in Mission
Impossible: Ghost Protocol? In the film, he used a gadget in the form of the
contact lenses to capture files or for documentation. Broadly speaking, this
capability that will be presented by Sony's latest creation, based on the
description on the US Patent & Trademark Office. The manufacturer also
equips the device with a unique control technique, making it more like a spy
tool rather than an accessory.
From the description of Sony, their contact lenses utilize
electroluminescence display, allowing user to watch videos, pictures, and view
other information. The device is also equipped with a video recorder module,
where you can record anything, supported by the familiar features such as
autofocus and zoom, as well as the exposure and aperture settings.
Which makes this device distinctive is the operation method.
It's not designed for continuous streaming and then forwards the result to
other devices (smartphones, tablets). Sony contact lenses can be controlled
with a blink. The device stores piezoelectric sensors circuit which is able to
calculate how many the eyelids closed, so it's able to recognize whether the
user blinks because of reflex or intends to give input.
Through the blink technique, user can also delete the video.
The lenses are equipped with a gyroscope to read the head movement - whether
upright or tilted - and maintain the video orientation so it won't tilt. For
the power source, Sony uses wireless electromagnetic induction to make sure the
device is able to work all day.
Sony contact lenses are the work of seven inventors:
Yoichiro Saku, Masanori Iwasaki, Kazunori Hayashi, Takayasu Kon, Takatoshi
Nakamura, Tomoya Onuma and Akira Tange. In addition to the two companies, you
probably already know that Google has also developed a similar gadget, but for
different functions.