Wearables

iOptik augmented reality contact lens prototype to be unveiled at CES

iOptik augmented reality contact lens prototype to be unveiled at CES
Embedded in the contact lens are micro-components that enable the user to focus on near-eye images
Embedded in the contact lens are micro-components that enable the user to focus on near-eye images
View 6 Images
Light projected by the display (glasses) passes through the center of the pupil and then works with the eye's regular optics to focus the display on the retina, while light from the real-life environment reaches the retina via an outer filter
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Light projected by the display (glasses) passes through the center of the pupil and then works with the eye's regular optics to focus the display on the retina, while light from the real-life environment reaches the retina via an outer filter
Via the filters, two separate images on the retina which are then superimposed to create one integrated image, or augmented reality
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Via the filters, two separate images on the retina which are then superimposed to create one integrated image, or augmented reality
Acting as a micro-display, the glasses project a picture onto the contact lens, which works as a filter to separate the real-world from the digital environment and then interlaces them into the one image
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Acting as a micro-display, the glasses project a picture onto the contact lens, which works as a filter to separate the real-world from the digital environment and then interlaces them into the one image
Before we get too excited, the iOptik system does not offer a solution for potential stigma attached to the less than discreet Google Glass, as it too requires a pair of glasses to function
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Before we get too excited, the iOptik system does not offer a solution for potential stigma attached to the less than discreet Google Glass, as it too requires a pair of glasses to function
The company is in talks with potential business partners such as Oakley and Electronic Arts to look at refining the product for the consumer market
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The company is in talks with potential business partners such as Oakley and Electronic Arts to look at refining the product for the consumer market
Embedded in the contact lens are micro-components that enable the user to focus on near-eye images
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Embedded in the contact lens are micro-components that enable the user to focus on near-eye images
View gallery - 6 images

Though most of the attention surrounding the race to commercialize connected eyewear has focused on Google Glass, a lesser known player has been quietly toiling away. At CES this week, Washington-based company Innovega will be showcasing its first fully-functioning prototypes of iOptik, an augmented reality system which projects a heads-up display onto contact lenses.

We first learned of Innovega's vision for augmented reality back in 2012 when the company received a contract from DARPA to develop the iOptik prototype for the battlefield. Though it was clear that the technology could serve many uses outside of the military, the company's progress in gearing it towards mainstream applications has caught our attention once again.

Before we get too excited, the iOptik system does not offer a solution for potential stigma attached to the less-than-discreet Google Glass, as it too requires a pair of glasses to function. Acting as a micro-display, the glasses project a picture onto the contact lens, which works as a filter to separate the real-world from the digital environment and then interlaces them into the one image.

According to the company, the technology enables users to focus on objects right in front of their eyes and in the distance simultaneously, offering an alternative solution to traditional near-eye displays which create the illusion of an object in the distance so as not to hinder regular vision.

Embedded in the contact lenses are micro-components that enable the user to focus on near-eye images. Light projected by the display (glasses) passes through the center of the pupil and then works with the eye's regular optics to focus the display on the retina, while light from the real-life environment reaches the retina via an outer filter. This creates two separate images on the retina which are then superimposed to create one integrated image, or augmented reality.

Acting as a micro-display, the glasses project a picture onto the contact lens, which works as a filter to separate the real-world from the digital environment and then interlaces them into the one image
Acting as a micro-display, the glasses project a picture onto the contact lens, which works as a filter to separate the real-world from the digital environment and then interlaces them into the one image

At present, iOptik is not for sale as it still requires clearance from the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) in the US. Innovega CEO Stephen Wiley told CNET that this application may come in late 2014 or early 2015, with the company already in talks with potential business partners to look at refining the product for the consumer market.

"We've talked to all of them, from Oakleys to the Lenovos and Electronic Arts," he said. "One sees it as electronic sunglasses. Another sees it as what comes after the tablet."

You can get an idea of Innovega's vision for iOptik and the future of augmented reality in the video below.

Source: Innovega

iOptik - a glimpse into the future -vers 1.1

View gallery - 6 images
12 comments
12 comments
Richardf
I t will be these and such devices that will responsable for jumps in evolution in the human brain. The filling up of the brain of information. Medicen alone cannot tailor make a bigger brain ,merly give the body its in a better advantage.
Joshua Nelson
I am so tired of videos like this, showing what it "could do 10 years from now" but not actually showing what it IS doing. I could make a video of a flying house but that means nothing,
What is the resolution?
How does it achieve head/eye tracking to correctly overlay visuals?
Too many unanswered questions for this to be a trusted article or even a trusted company, nothing was answered and nothing was ACTUALLY demonstrated.
The Skud
A little better than 'vapourware' at present, but a long way to go! I worry about the huge safety concerns that need to be addressed before these and other proposed devices are sold. Ever-increasing numbers of crashes linked to 'texxxting' and in-car phone use are bad enough, but can you imagine 'Bubba' driving his SUV down the highway with a pocketed storage device full of porn and these contact lenses?
Dave B13
Oh great, I'll be able to watch advertising right on my face, instead of those pesky billboards and shop signs. These seem McNoying I don't McWantem.
Mike Barnett
All fine and dandy until the little hidden hooks pop out and it fuses itself to your eye, Mr. Borg.
Nelson Hyde Chick
Once this product and Google Glass are in wide distribution I wonder on average how many people will be killed because they were too busy with their devices than being aware of their surroundings? Guys alone driving while watching porn will be responsible for over half of the accidents.
Bryan Paschke
To all the safety naysayers: how many accidents will be prevented because the glasses will detect and highlight 1)that kid who just darted out in front of you or 2)the fact that you physically can't make that turn at your current speed or 3)that car that you're approaching rapidly...you know, the one on the moonless night without any lights on? yeah, that one.
Rich Dresden
@Bryan Paschke - They're AR contact lenses, not RADAR for crying out loud. These seem to be vapor anyhow, but even if they were available today, there would be a greater threat to safety overall than accident "prevention" as you describe. Your average person is disconnected from reality enough as it is just with smartphones. Not all technology == the betterment of mankind
Graham Ferguson
An amazing development to pack a display into such a small device - you can see from the second part of the video that the display resolution and sharpness is a tad compromised due to the feat of engineering - that of course will improve in time.
Bryan is right that once these technologies are joined up and speaking to our car radar/IR cameras etc they have the potential to improve safety - from the simple like shifting sat-nav directions and in-car dials onto the field of view, reducing the need to look anywhere but on the road ahead to the advanced like giving warning of accidents ahead, flagging up of obstacles and hazards at night etc.
Would like to see a bit more about their proposed interface to these devices - certainly one is NOT going to go poking or clicking their eyeball!
Everdeep Naga
I knew this was gonna be the next step! After this there will be chips in our brains! Has anyone else read this book titled "Feed" by M. T. Anderson? This won't end pretty but I want it anyway!!
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