Ethical and Legal Considerations of Invisible Contact Lenses Technology
Smart contact lenses — basically flexible displays packed with augmented reality tech — have long been sci-fi fodder for companies like Google, Amazon and Magic Leap. But now a California startup thinks it has figured out how to make the tech more practical. Its lenses are invisible to anyone but the wearer, and can be prompted to show stats like health tracking or map data on demand.
The prototype, from Saratoga-based Mojo Vision, isn’t on the market yet. But it’s close. The company says it’s working on a version that will be safe enough to wear for a day, and is seeking FDA approval as a medical device. It’s aiming for the Breakthrough Device Program, which is a path for devices that can treat debilitating diseases or conditions.
But it’s a huge challenge to make this kind of tech actually work. The lenses need to be comfortable, light, and have an excellent eye tracker that can interpret the movement of your pupils in 10-millisecond loops. They also need a small processor, power management, and wireless communication. Mojo’s design uses a proprietary 5GHz radio because Bluetooth is too power-hungry for this purpose.
The lenses need to be FDA-approved, and they’ll have to compete with other smart glasses, which are more recognizable than the invisible ones. But if the company can overcome these obstacles, it could usher in a new generation of AR-powered supervision that’s almost impossible to see or ignore.