Available to the public towards the end of 2014
The Pentagon has put in an order for prototype contact lenses that give users a much wider field of vision.
The lenses are designed to be paired with compact head-up display (HUD) units – glasses that allow images to be projected onto their lenses.
Much bulkier HUDs are already deployed by the US Army and Air Force to superimpose data about targets and other status updates over users’ views.
The tech could help troops enhance their awareness on the battlefield.
The iOptik system’s developer, Innovega, told the BBC it had signed a contract earlier this week to deliver a fully-functioning prototype to the Pentagon’s research laboratory, Darpa.
The US Department of Defense had previously funded part of the Washington-based firm’s initial engineering work on the project.
“The new contract gives us an immediate opportunity to start prototyping and demonstrating elements of this new system,” Innovega’s chief executive Steve Willey said.
Multifocal
The lenses work by allowing the wearer to focus on two things at once – both the information projected onto the glasses’ lenses and the more distant view that can be seen through them.
They do this by having two different filters.
The central part of each lens sends light from the HUD towards the middle of the pupil, while the outer part sends light from the surrounding environment to the pupil’s rim.
The retina receives each image in focus, at the same time.
“Normally, for example, with a camera you focus on something distant or something close – but you focus on a particular spot,” said Mr Willey.
“By wearing our contact lens you automatically have this multi-focus, or dual-focus, and you are doing something that humans don’t usually do.”
via BBC – LJ Rich ᔥ
Bookmark this page for “Dual-focus contact lens” and check back regularly as these articles update on a very frequent basis. The view is set to “news”. Try clicking on “video” and “2” for more articles.