Okay, this is just freaky. We know LED lights are versatile enough to be used for practically anything, but LED contact lenses? Really?! Yes, as it turns out, really. University of Washington researchers have figured out how to implant semitransparent red and blue LED lights in contact lenses, for the purpose of receiving and displaying data in sharp visual images and video. This means wearers will literally be able to watch TV or view photos that are projected directly onto their eyeballs.
Once miniature green LEDs are developed (and they’re in the works, as of now), full color displays will be possible. Once that happens, the possibilities are endless. Think about everything your smart phone can do right now, and imagine the same being possible for your eyeball. This news is a little scary and a lot fascinating, if you ask me—at the very least, with LED contact lenses, your hands would be free to pet your robot or tinker with your hover board.
Lead researcher Babak Parvis comments “You won’t necessarily have to shift your focus to see the image generated by the contact lens,” it would just appear in front of you and your view of the real world will be completely unobstructed when the display is turned off.
Ah, the real world. With augmented reality becoming a reality, it feels like the real world is fast becoming a relic of the past.
Thanks to Extreme Tech for the quote and Trendhunter for the images.
By the way, these freaky LED contact lenses may still be a product of the future, but a lot of cool LED products are of the present! Check out this Remote Control Color Changing LED Light Bulb. Or, learn how to pimp out the interior of your car in Color-Changing LED Strip Lights.
191 Responses
Leave a Reply
[...] LED Lights Make Augmented Vision a Reality | Elemental LED Academy Okay, this is just freaky. We know LED lights are versatile enough to be used for practically anything, but LED contact lenses? Really?! Yes, as [...]
where can you get/find these?
[...] it or not this technology already exists: here. But are we really that close to what the video portrays? Doubtful. I’m sure one day we’ll make [...]
I’ve been warning about these types of things for a long time. What a Brave New World… don’t lose your Self.
scifi
That is so BA, I wonder if it effects your vision? I defiantly think it looks cool.
Didn’t cover this story since its operating prototype wasn’t developed, but it is quite fascinating and reminds of gadgetry depicted in spy movies.
[...] have seen on the web by now. Imbibe THIS! Tune in, turn on, and chill out with Timothy Leary. LED Lights Make Augmented Vision a Reality. Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like [...]
Wow ! that sounds like playing PlayStation anywhere anytime woohooo!
[...] LED Lights Make Augmented Vision a Reality Christine | January 14th, 2011 Category: Innovative Technology, Recent Blog Posts [...]
To all the people worried about their eyesight when using this: as opposed to computer screens that are in close proximity ( needing to focus on a short distance) these lenses will be able to project the images in such a way that your eye doesn’t need to adjust it’s focus.
I want this. I really do.
When I was a kid my mom always told me if I sat too close to the tv it would ruin my eyes…
Well, if the contacts could perhaps go off of inertia from eye movement to scroll different options or measure the iris movement in small movement occurrences to to similar things then it may work as well. Every time the eye moves the iris jiggles a bit. I invite you to watch this demonstrative video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fmg9ZOHESgQ
Gnome has a point. Unless the screen/contact acted like it was gyroscopic somehow, you could only look at the center of the screen.
Stay away from microwaves.
This looks amazing, but I’m kind of worried how this will affect our eyesight. We already use so much TV and the internet that there is a high possibility our eyesight will be affected when we get older. Imagine what the contacts would do since they’re placed right on our eyes.
Amazing idea, but I hope they test it enough to see the effects that it could cause.
[...] Elemental LED-LED Lights Make Augmented Vision a Reality [...]
Check this out, this guy invented this a long time ago and posted it on his blog, he calls it the IrixPhone (use Google Translate if you do not know spanish): http://eliax.com/index.cfm?post_id=8069
@gnome
If the LED lenses had sensors to locate the position of your eyeball as well as the LED lights, you could calibrate it so the screen you’re looking at would move in the opposite direction of your eye when it moves, giving the illusion of glancing over a screen like a computer, or a heads up display. The human eye is incredibly quick, though, and that would be difficult.. but if they’re augmenting reality with LED contact lenses, I’m pretty sure anything’s possible. Also, you’d probably need an earpiece that could link to your contact lens. You couldn’t exactly have effective speakers coming from your eye.
i can already imagine these as weapon sights, it would be like a crosshair that shows where your gun is. or, it could be like halo and have nav points transmitted from someplace
I asked for this! About 20+ years ago when I was playing Cyberpunk!
I am not sure video would be great with this technology… When you watch TV, Movies, Youtube or what ever, you use your eyes to to look around at the screen to lock onto and focus on separate parts of the screen. How can you possible adjust your eyes to a video on a contact lens that is fixed to one position in your eye? Know matter where you look, you are still going to be looking at the same portion of the lens. Essentially, the way it would look is if you were watching a movie but were only allowed to stare at the center of the screen the whole time. you’d only be fixed on what is going on in the center, all the rest would be viewable in your peripheral vision.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45403495/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/t/cyborg-style-contact-lenses-take-step-closer-reality/#.T71tv9xSSSp
Here’s the closest that I found to the original
They could be powered off the electricity your body produces. We might not of asked for it, but just like Steve Jobs said, give the consumer what works, not what they think they need.
Stuff like this is very interesting, but won’t likely be practical in this exact sense. Still, we continue learning from different things like this and it will be interesting to see how this connects in a practical sense to the world of the future.
X-Ray vision comes soon after.
I never asked for this…
If this is linked with internet…think of how many breaches of privacy could accure?
I can see a lot more accidents as more and more people start reading books or email or facebook while driving, it is a really cool idea but people will abuse it.
Now this is what I call, a literal “eyephone”
Can’t wait for that.
Amazing, this would really change the we interact with our devices. A marketer would have a field day though as it would be hard to skip through an ad.
Mind blowing porn is probably more like it…
Here’s an article, and here’s the lead researcher.
Sources? Anyone?
does anybody else think of Repo! The Genetic Opera and Mag?
how do you power the LED lights? really really small batteries??
Although technology in my lifetime has been and continues to be the most advanced in history, our children are already distracted enough. Hopefully someone will find a way to enhance our education system with some of this fancy shmancy technology.
moejj….this is why we can’t have nice things!
cool! will make cheating on exams that much easier!
mind blowing!! simply wow!