Google working on new solar-powered contact lens
So, what’s the next big thing in wearables? It might just be solar-powered contact lenses. Crazy as that sounds, you heard correctly.
Search engine giant and pseudo jack of all trades Google was awarded a patent for a “contact lens employing optical signals for power and/or communication.”
According to a detailed report from Inc. Magazine, there are a number of tasks that a solar-powered lens could tackle. Some are equally wacky and cool.
- Monitor and track body temperatures
- Monitor and track blood-alcohol levels
- Help wearers deal with allergies
- Scan barcodes and/or price tags
- Monitor and track glucose levels
- Authenticate identities
- Communicate with external devices
- Generate power from solar light
- Generate power from ambient light sources
That’s quite a list, and gives a good idea of the vast array of uses a device like this could have. The impact could be — and likely — would be manifold. For more details about anything on that list above, be sure to check out the Inc. article.
So, has the future arrived? Quick, let’s check what Back to the Future had to say about solar-powered contact lenses and how they would impact 2015.
Source → Quartz