Originally developed for the battlefield under a DARPA contract, Innovega’s wearable computer is a twofold system that uses both a contact lens and a pair of glasses to produce an augmented reality experience.
Named iOptik, the system uses its glasses to project an image upon a micro-component laden contact lens. Leveraging the inner workings of the human eye, the iOptik uses its glasses to project an image of apps and information through the wearer’s pupil and onto the back of the retina. At the same time, an outer filter embedded in the contact lens collects light from the ambient environment. With two images placed onto a wearer’s retina the eye superimposes one upon the other to produce a vision augmented by information.
Not ones to sit idly by, however, Innovega has already reached out to companies such as Oakley and Lenovo in an attempt to refine their technology into a wearable, stylish and effective product as soon as FDA approval is handed down.
Although wearable computers still reside in a realm considered odd or fringe, it’s my opinion that in the next ten years products like the iOptik will not only be cheap enough for mass production but also a powerful and socially acceptable form of computing. For now though, we still have a while to wait until augmented reality becomes a rich, seamless extension of everyday life.
Images and Video Courtesy of Innovega