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.
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Nozick’s The Experience Machine
Imagine the cultural adjustment required with these things. The guy next to you on the train may be watching hard core porn which, if you were aware of it, would explain his strange behaviour. What would advertisers do with this? the mind boggles. Imagine the coke logo is stuck on your eyeball!!!! ouch
Really, Impressive
Beer goggles become a reality. They’ll be able to make our spouses look better. Awesome!
thats insane!
But if they make smartphone out of these, won’t it hurt when it vibrates?
Im throwing money at my computer screen but nothing has happened
This is great if you like staring at the center of a video, since the video will move when your eyeball moves so you can’t look around the scene
I never asked for this……. – Adam Jensen
I’m looking forward to investing into the iEye. Apple’s contact lens phones will be wonderful.
WOW! I could see many uses for these…but only for specific times…not something for everyday wear.
@uncle dude, how ’bout iBall? don’t sell your stocks! <3
(not to be confused by iBalls, that's a completely different product)
Nice idea, but how do you power such a device? This’ll need some extraordinarly new battery technology to work…
OMG i thought of this idea and made it a project in 9th grade!!
I don’t want to have to swipe my finger across my eyeball to make it work!
I’m not a fan of contact lenses…give me cardboard 3D spec any day.
They should have integrated wireless receivers and be powered by our own blinks, how awesome would that be.
I predict it will be ready in 5 years
er…how can you possibly focus on something that close to the eye??
yea this is all we need people can’t even drive and talk on the phone at the same time!
Where do the batteries go…
Raisa – you already “lose” the TV picture for a split second when you blink – think about it
What I want is led flashlights so I can see in low light or the dark, but this is cool. Watch movies while in class..
But WHY???
Just imagine the new breed all-ages cyber-junkies all freaked out on the streets…this would be total insanity..haha..are you kidding me ?
This technology isn’t just limited to watching TV. It can be used by law enforcement officials to cue them in to lies, remind you of your anniversary or a birthday when you look at someone, even alert you that your cars tires are low or that steak your about to eat is either undercooked or has a bacteria on it that will make you sick. This technology will revolutionize the world and is much closer than 100 years away.
Right, because God forbid I miss a show ever again.
Yeah right, I still have to wrap 50 feet of Coax cable around every doorway in my apartment to watch TV in my bedroom, no way is this a reality in my lifetime.
Whoa!! Technology is getting extreme!! Sweet better start saving now for a pair!! hahaha
Futurama already did it.
first warning of a short. your eyes explode! oops, recall. knew we shoulnt have ordered thoose discount led’s from china..
@AC, hopefully they’ll have automatic driving cars, like the ones in iRobot, so that driving won’t be an issue.
ok so thats awesome … we can watch tv that’s stuck to our eye balls… but now what happens when we have to blink? will the immage still be crystal clear is it gonna disapear being that there is no light to see thru? I hope i’m making sense here …. cuz i feel like its just a bad idea
John Arbuckle- check out wireless energy transfer. And even still, a nearby headset/earpiece containing an electromagnet would be enough to power this stuff. This technology already exists, but it wont be ready for the consumer market for another 10-15 years. A friend of mine at UCSD Engineering was wearing sensory contacts containing complicated electrodes that were able to detect pressure on the eye as well as curvature. The signal was picked up by a sensor worn around his ear.
porn all day long!
This is probably 100 years away – how exactly would it be powered?
http://hplusmagazine.com/editors-blog/quantum-dots-future-vr covers Qdot LEDs, and their uses, and AC, imagine driving your car at night without needing headlights, and being able to drive in heavy fog as if it weren’t there.
The photo is a Photoshop job, and there aren’t enough LEDs on it to do anything remotely useful.
http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/bionics/augmented-reality-in-a-contact-lens/1
Much better article.
so I get to watch anime with my eyes??? XD Can’t wait! does it fix my vision so I still don’t have to wear glasses?
how do you clean them? you blink!
This is so old-school tech… What we should be working on is transmitting information directly to the optic nerve – or maybe just directly into the brain. Baby steps I guess. =)
how do you clean these?
What is the Matrix?
It does sound interesting but I think that not everybody would like to wear those led lenses since wearing and putting the lenses on your eyes is quite uncomfortable.
Some how the iEye doesn’t have the right ring to it. I’m selling my apple stock.
Stare at the sun for half an hour? you must be kidding me. I don’t want to lose my vision
“pezz says:
September 14, 2011 at 4:46 pm
@Virus says:
September 7, 2011 at 1:17 pm
hmm, one question ! How do you power it ?
They’re Solar Powered. All you have to do is stare at the sun for about an hour a day and they’re fully recharged! It’s practically flawless! AND energy efficient!”
Cant tell if trolling!
Great idea! Until they overheat…ouch!
Can you imagine the pop up ads while you are driving that are triggered as you get within 100 feet of any Nat’l Chain (e.g. McDonalds). I have to admit that I am intrigued but very hesitant when it comes to my eyes. One short or power surge in that contact and the lights are going out.
Here’s my problem, People are already driving more dangerously due to phones. Now add this to the mix and what’s going to happen???