In March, a tech startup called Mojo Vision unveiled its vision for the future — or rather, the future.It has created prototype “smart” contact lenses that, when worn, project augmented reality (AR) over whatever the user sees.Think of it like Google Glass, but it’s experimental and goes right into your eyeballs.Dubbed Mojo Lens, these contacts promise a pristine 3D display and eye-tracking system, allowing the wearer to see handy information like how far you ran during a workout, or where you were during a round of golf Hole.
How Much Are Contact Lenses
There’s just one key problem: the prototype lenses still won’t fit.You can only peek through the lenses one at a time, and they can’t be safely placed on your eyeballs.
Now, that’s quickly changing, as Mojo has shown they can be worn by the human eye.Mojo announced on June 28 that CEO Drew Perkins was the first to wear the shoes.
“After completing preclinical testing and reducing potential safety risks, I put on Mojo Lens,” Perkins wrote in a blog post.”To my great delight, I found that I could interact with the compass to find my bearings, view images, and use the on-screen teleprompter to read surprising but familiar quotes.”
While Mojo Lens launched in March, they still require wires to function.Now that these lenses are wireless, the company has taken a major step toward creating a commercially viable AR wearable.The company has partnered with the likes of Adidas to develop a potential app that would allow runners to track their distance, speed and route.Wearables also have the potential to be an extension of your phone or smartwatch.
“Ultimately, it’s a tool that provides people with an invisible assistant that keeps them focused throughout the day without losing the information they need to feel confident in any situation,” Perkins wrote.
Mojo lenses themselves use rigid breathable contact lenses, so it’s not as flexible as your typical lenses but still breathable.A range of electronics are embedded in it, including a medical-grade battery for power, a microprocessor for computing, and a communications radio, so it can interface with other applications and devices.Steve Sinclair, Mojo’s senior vice president of product and marketing, told IEEE Spectrum in March that the current prototype doesn’t include an image sensor, so it can’t take pictures or video just yet.No need to worry about the camera spying on you unknowingly.(Well, don’t worry too much.)
While promising, any hype surrounding AR wearables is worth pouring a little cold water on — let alone AR glasses.First, regular contact lenses can cause many health problems, such as dry eyes and fungal build-up.Add a bunch of electronics to a rigid lens, and that can be a recipe for disaster for a lot of people.Potential users may be turned off by the idea of putting batteries on their eyeballs (and for non-baseless reasons).
There’s also the fact that there may be few practical applications and even less demand for this technology.We all remember the debacle of Google Glass, which saw a lot of hype, like a loud fart in the wind, because not many people were willing to shell out $1,500 for potential security and privacy risks, and it also made you look as stupid as hell .Why should we expect something different from a pair of AR contact lenses?
How Much Are Contact Lenses
Then again, if the hype surrounding virtual worlds is to be believed, it’s really only a matter of time before AR wearables.For now, however, the company will use the newly developed prototype with the goal of “submission to the FDA for market approval,” Perkins said.The process will include some clinical trials, so don’t expect to get a pair anytime soon.
Post time: Jul-15-2022
