Google patents smart contact lens system with a CAMERA built in
Glass without the glasses: Google
patents smart contact lens system with a CAMERA built in
·
Lens has camera built in
·
Could be developed to help the blind see and
give them guidance
·
Could also give wearer 'supervision' with
ability to zoom
·
Could shrink Glass to fit on a pair on lenses
·
Firm already developing lenses with screen
and medical sensors built in
·
Project developed in secretive Google X lab
Google has patented a smart
contact lens that could see its Glass wearable computer fit inside a smart
lens.
The firm
has already developed a contact lens for diabetics analyses their tears,
warning them if their glucose levels are low.
Now it has revealed plans for a
lens with a camera built in - opening the possibility of its Glass system being
shrunk down significantly, offering features such as 'superzoom' to wearers and
even helping the blind see.
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Glass
without the glass: Google patent contact lens camera
HOW IT
WORKS
The
Google lens contains a control circuit, an image capture (camera) component and
an image sensor.
The system
can be wirelessly linked to a mobile phone for data access and to issue
commands via audio, although it is unclear if the lens would be powered
wirelessly or have a wired link to a battery.
According to PatentBolt, the system could even be used to help
the blind see.
'For example, a blind person
wearing Google's contact lens with a built-in camera may be walking on a
sidewalk and approaching an intersection,' it says.
'The analysis component of the
contact lens can process the raw image data of the camera to determine processed
image data indicating that the blind person is approaching intersection with a
crosswalk and establish that there is a car approaching the intersection.'
The lens also has wireless capabilities
allowing it to link to a smartphone, which can be used to process data and give
the user audio commands.
Google
also says the system will be able to detect faces, potentially allowing the
blind to recognise people.
The firm
has already developed a smart lens capable of measuring the glucose level of
diabetics.
5
Google is
testing a prototype for a smart contact lens that we built to measure glucose
in tears continuously using a wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor.
HOW IT
WORKS -
DIABETIC'S LENS
The smart
contact lens can measure glucose levels in tears using a tiny wireless chip and
miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft
contact lens material.
Prototypes
generate a reading once per second.
Google is
also investigating the potential for this to serve as an early warning for the
wearer, integrating tiny LED lights that could light up to indicate that
glucose levels have crossed above or below certain thresholds.
'You’ve probably heard that diabetes
is a huge and growing problem—affecting one in every 19 people on the planet,'
Google said in a blog post announcing the research.
'But you may not be familiar with
the daily struggle that many people with diabetes face as they try to keep
their blood sugar levels under control.
'Uncontrolled blood sugar puts
people at risk for a range of dangerous complications, some short-term and
others longer term, including damage to the eyes, kidneys and heart.
'A friend of ours told us she
worries about her mom, who once passed out from low blood sugar and drove her
car off the road'
The project's co-founders,
Brian Otis and Babak Parviz, say they hope the technology could eventually
become commonplace.
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How it
works: The chip includes a sensor, chip and antenna to let wearers know when
their glucose levels are dangerously low
The firm
is already in discussion with the FDA over the project
'We’re now
testing a smart contact lens that’s built to measure glucose levels in tears
using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded
between two layers of soft contact lens material,' they said.
'We’re
testing prototypes that can generate a reading once per second.
How they
are made: The process starts with a tiny chip, which is then mounted on a ring
with the antenna and sensor, and finally mounted onto the lens.
The
technology is sandwiched inbetween two lenses
'We’re
also investigating the potential for this to serve as an early warning for the
wearer, so we’re exploring integrating tiny LED lights that could light up to
indicate that glucose levels have crossed above or below certain thresholds.
'It’s still early days for this
technology, but we’ve completed multiple clinical research studies which are
helping to refine our prototype.
'We hope this could someday lead
to a new way for people with diabetes to manage their disease.'
The firm is in discussions with
the FDA, but says 'there’s still a lot more work to do to turn this technology
into a system that people can use.
It hopes to work with other
medical firms to develop the lenses and other smart health monitoring devices.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2604543/Glass-without-glasses-Google-patents-smart-contact-lens-CAMERA-built-in.html
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