AR contact lenses
May 11, 2020 1:15 PM Subscribe
Before this is successful even if the tech works perfectly is a medical advance that solves dry eyes.
Today we almost universally comment on people standing around in a group not talking to each other but looking down at the cell phone. When Mojo rolls out there will be really funny news blurbs about how now everyone is squinting, scrunching up their faces, and blinking constantly.
posted by sammyo at 1:37 PM on May 11, 2020
Today we almost universally comment on people standing around in a group not talking to each other but looking down at the cell phone. When Mojo rolls out there will be really funny news blurbs about how now everyone is squinting, scrunching up their faces, and blinking constantly.
posted by sammyo at 1:37 PM on May 11, 2020
That web site is like 110% information-free.
Sad, too, because the picture of the night sky overlaid with constellations makes me weak in the knees.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:38 PM on May 11, 2020 [6 favorites]
Sad, too, because the picture of the night sky overlaid with constellations makes me weak in the knees.
posted by wenestvedt at 1:38 PM on May 11, 2020 [6 favorites]
Yeah, I've had my heart broken too many times. I won't believe any of this until I'm looking through them.
I'm cynical because.
posted by Horkus at 1:39 PM on May 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
I'm cynical because.
posted by Horkus at 1:39 PM on May 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
Using a display the size of a grain of sand to project images onto the retina....
A grain of sand? In my eye? Sounds awful!
posted by scottatdrake at 1:40 PM on May 11, 2020 [8 favorites]
A grain of sand? In my eye? Sounds awful!
posted by scottatdrake at 1:40 PM on May 11, 2020 [8 favorites]
What if tomorrow you could... spot the tiny arrow at the bottom of the page hinting that you'll have to scroll to see anything.
posted by pipeski at 1:44 PM on May 11, 2020 [6 favorites]
posted by pipeski at 1:44 PM on May 11, 2020 [6 favorites]
Can I read books with my eyes closed with this? I do like the bike HUD thing, even though they missed out on a virtual rear view mirror. Although I bet the reality will be totally washed out.
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:59 PM on May 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by BrotherCaine at 1:59 PM on May 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
Much better article from Techcrunch.
While executives say they’ve been dogfooding the technology for some time now, the demos were still pretty far removed from an eventual in-eye augmented reality contact lens.
Before selling itself as an AR-for-everyone device, the company is smartly going after visual impairments.
Did I mention that you can still see the display when your eyes are closed. Talk about a (pardon my French) mind fuck. There will surely be ways to silence or disable these things, but as someone who regularly falls asleep with his smartphone in-hand, I admit that I’m pretty weak when it comes to the issue of digital dependence.
posted by sammyo at 2:01 PM on May 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
While executives say they’ve been dogfooding the technology for some time now, the demos were still pretty far removed from an eventual in-eye augmented reality contact lens.
Before selling itself as an AR-for-everyone device, the company is smartly going after visual impairments.
Did I mention that you can still see the display when your eyes are closed. Talk about a (pardon my French) mind fuck. There will surely be ways to silence or disable these things, but as someone who regularly falls asleep with his smartphone in-hand, I admit that I’m pretty weak when it comes to the issue of digital dependence.
posted by sammyo at 2:01 PM on May 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
Years ago when I got my cataract fixed, I was talking to my doctor, and he agreed that as long as he was putting a lens into my eye, it really would be cool if you could connect it to a display...
posted by mikelieman at 2:02 PM on May 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by mikelieman at 2:02 PM on May 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
Years ago when I got my cataract fixed, I was talking to my doctor, and he agreed that as long as he was putting a lens into my eye, it really would be cool if you could connect it to a display...
Speaking as someone dependent on durable medical equipment, it's bad enough when something external has hacking concerns.
posted by BrotherCaine at 2:04 PM on May 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
Speaking as someone dependent on durable medical equipment, it's bad enough when something external has hacking concerns.
posted by BrotherCaine at 2:04 PM on May 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
Do want. Do not expect.
posted by Splunge at 2:08 PM on May 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by Splunge at 2:08 PM on May 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
There are a lot of red flags. Strong Theranos vibes.
Regardless I think Adblock for your eyes would be the first killer app. Though there is its corollary, ads beamed directly into your retina. Pair that with the idea that it also works when your eyes are closed and we're in Black Mirror.
posted by adept256 at 2:09 PM on May 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
Regardless I think Adblock for your eyes would be the first killer app. Though there is its corollary, ads beamed directly into your retina. Pair that with the idea that it also works when your eyes are closed and we're in Black Mirror.
posted by adept256 at 2:09 PM on May 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
I have been waiting a long time for decent AR devices. It could really help people with memory/recognition deficits.
posted by wierdo at 2:33 PM on May 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by wierdo at 2:33 PM on May 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
Imagine never being at a loss for the names of people you know socially, but only peripherally...
Sorry, had to.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 2:38 PM on May 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
Sorry, had to.
posted by halfbuckaroo at 2:38 PM on May 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
They're rose-colored, I expect.
posted by chavenet at 2:40 PM on May 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by chavenet at 2:40 PM on May 11, 2020 [4 favorites]
Can I watch movies on them? Will they need to paired to a device to provide data? What's the battery life? How long can you use one before the eye cancer sets in?
posted by doctor_negative at 3:07 PM on May 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by doctor_negative at 3:07 PM on May 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
I shudder at the thought of spam, trolls, and election campaigns.
posted by Mrs Potato at 3:29 PM on May 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Mrs Potato at 3:29 PM on May 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
I can't help but think of the Black Mirror episode "Nosedive".
posted by gimonca at 3:29 PM on May 11, 2020
posted by gimonca at 3:29 PM on May 11, 2020
This product makes Magic Leap's claims completely practical and achievable.
Not only do they need to miniaturize a phone into the something that's less than 1mm thick, it's also classified as a medical device.
posted by meowzilla at 3:56 PM on May 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
Not only do they need to miniaturize a phone into the something that's less than 1mm thick, it's also classified as a medical device.
posted by meowzilla at 3:56 PM on May 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
What was that on-line 'TV' series called again, the one with everyone using these things and then someone introduces a lethal virus into the network and people start dying?
Oh, yeah: H+
That worked out well, if I recall. (Too bad nothing ever became of this series. It wasn't half bad.)
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 4:38 PM on May 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
Oh, yeah: H+
That worked out well, if I recall. (Too bad nothing ever became of this series. It wasn't half bad.)
posted by Insert Clever Name Here at 4:38 PM on May 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
I'm just waiting for the nanobots that attach directly to my optical nerves. Much cleaner.
posted by zardoz at 4:51 PM on May 11, 2020
posted by zardoz at 4:51 PM on May 11, 2020
Dammit, had to change my Black Mirror comment after noticing the others . ....They Live anyone?
posted by Liquidwolf at 4:53 PM on May 11, 2020
posted by Liquidwolf at 4:53 PM on May 11, 2020
So it's a hard lens, I suppose similar to the ones used to correct keratoconus or an old style contact.
That seems like a big ask. I mean, I've been going back and forth for a year on if I want to deal with that in my eye all day long, and I have an actual vision problem.
(OTOH, I would be very happy with a 80x25 vty hud so long as it didn't involve an entire galaxy of proprietary spy-ware transmitting my every eye twitch to drive it.)
posted by joeyh at 4:54 PM on May 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
That seems like a big ask. I mean, I've been going back and forth for a year on if I want to deal with that in my eye all day long, and I have an actual vision problem.
(OTOH, I would be very happy with a 80x25 vty hud so long as it didn't involve an entire galaxy of proprietary spy-ware transmitting my every eye twitch to drive it.)
posted by joeyh at 4:54 PM on May 11, 2020 [3 favorites]
Will they need to paired to a device to provide data?
That's interesting. My original thought was that it would be a single eye. Besides the general, ouch this is thick and hard (get your mind out of the... uh...) there. How easy would it be to put in and take out? Like early glass contacts, I would think. Both eyes? Well sure. But if I go to sleep with them in, like say I was drunk. Would it tear up my corneas?
And yeah, if it can be turned off, can I still see through it? Will I turn it off and wake up blind? Thrashing about to find my phone and turn it back on?
Siri! I am blind! Turn on my eyes!
posted by Splunge at 5:09 PM on May 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
That's interesting. My original thought was that it would be a single eye. Besides the general, ouch this is thick and hard (get your mind out of the... uh...) there. How easy would it be to put in and take out? Like early glass contacts, I would think. Both eyes? Well sure. But if I go to sleep with them in, like say I was drunk. Would it tear up my corneas?
And yeah, if it can be turned off, can I still see through it? Will I turn it off and wake up blind? Thrashing about to find my phone and turn it back on?
Siri! I am blind! Turn on my eyes!
posted by Splunge at 5:09 PM on May 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
> ...a 80x25 vty hud...
I could get a lot of mileage out of just an old green screen. Call it "TTeYe" and let me use a Bluetooth keyboard!
posted by wenestvedt at 5:24 PM on May 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
I could get a lot of mileage out of just an old green screen. Call it "TTeYe" and let me use a Bluetooth keyboard!
posted by wenestvedt at 5:24 PM on May 11, 2020 [2 favorites]
A grain of sand? In my eye? Sounds awful!
I recall when after five years of wearing glasses, I asked my optometrist about the possibility of contacts. He grabbed some sample ones in the right prescription and had me try them on during my appointment.
His first question was, “How do they feel?”
Very conscious of them, I replied, “Like there is something in my eye.”
He said drily, “There is.”
You get used to it.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:11 PM on May 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
I recall when after five years of wearing glasses, I asked my optometrist about the possibility of contacts. He grabbed some sample ones in the right prescription and had me try them on during my appointment.
His first question was, “How do they feel?”
Very conscious of them, I replied, “Like there is something in my eye.”
He said drily, “There is.”
You get used to it.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 6:11 PM on May 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
The obtuseness of using a grain of sand metaphor to sell users on their device that fits on your eyeball is what's hilarious about that.
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:57 PM on May 11, 2020 [9 favorites]
posted by tiny frying pan at 6:57 PM on May 11, 2020 [9 favorites]
I’m still waiting for a Bluetooth tooth.
posted by Jode at 7:00 PM on May 11, 2020 [11 favorites]
posted by Jode at 7:00 PM on May 11, 2020 [11 favorites]
I want everyone out there working on tech like this to have read MT Anderson's "Feed" and to have promised never to do anything that gets us closer to that reality, but it seems like that is very much not the case.
posted by cubby at 7:07 PM on May 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by cubby at 7:07 PM on May 11, 2020 [1 favorite]
How long can you use one before the eye cancer sets in?
A cancer free experience is available to our Premium subscribers
posted by Dr. Twist at 7:15 PM on May 11, 2020 [7 favorites]
A cancer free experience is available to our Premium subscribers
posted by Dr. Twist at 7:15 PM on May 11, 2020 [7 favorites]
I happily wore gas permeable lenses for 15 years until lasik caught up to my near sightedness. It's not that bad, unless one of several horrible things happen. The worst was probably sunscreen getting under them while driving. Or when they go off center. Or when you get grit under them. But hey, you get really comfortable touching your eyes. Pick it lick it stick it back in.
The reason I don't see this ever working is that your contacts dance around when you blink. It's a problem for astigmatism correcting lenses, and your display would also bounce around like mad.
posted by BeeDo at 11:01 PM on May 11, 2020
The reason I don't see this ever working is that your contacts dance around when you blink. It's a problem for astigmatism correcting lenses, and your display would also bounce around like mad.
posted by BeeDo at 11:01 PM on May 11, 2020
they already use some forms of contacts to deliver medication after eye surgeries.
i'd be happy for a hud for things like directions or whatnot so i don't have to have my phone out. or alert a friend some weirdo is following me or something.
however, as BeeDo says, weighting it correctly will be an issue. i have astigmatism in one eye and have to often adjust it to get it back in focus.
i would not want it embedded. definitely want to take it out.
posted by affectionateborg at 2:15 AM on May 12, 2020
i'd be happy for a hud for things like directions or whatnot so i don't have to have my phone out. or alert a friend some weirdo is following me or something.
however, as BeeDo says, weighting it correctly will be an issue. i have astigmatism in one eye and have to often adjust it to get it back in focus.
i would not want it embedded. definitely want to take it out.
posted by affectionateborg at 2:15 AM on May 12, 2020
they need to miniaturize a phone into the something that's less than 1mm thick
No no no no, you guys have this all wrong. They aren't going to make the device smaller, they are going to make our eyes bigger!
Also:
I’m still waiting for a Bluetooth tooth.
Comment of the year.
posted by Literaryhero at 6:25 AM on May 12, 2020
No no no no, you guys have this all wrong. They aren't going to make the device smaller, they are going to make our eyes bigger!
Also:
I’m still waiting for a Bluetooth tooth.
Comment of the year.
posted by Literaryhero at 6:25 AM on May 12, 2020
I want everyone out there working on tech like this to have read MT Anderson's "Feed" and to have promised never to do anything that gets us closer to that reality, but it seems like that is very much not the case.
posted by cubby at 10:07 PM on May 11 [1 favorite −] Favorite added! [!]
Sort of irrelevant, but I just started watching an amazon original called The Feed which is very similar but not the same plot, and I thought for sure it was based on Anderson's book, but no - there is also a book called The Feed with this premise. I'm... surprised no one has pointed out the "similarities"
posted by FirstMateKate at 6:56 AM on May 12, 2020
posted by cubby at 10:07 PM on May 11 [1 favorite −] Favorite added! [!]
Sort of irrelevant, but I just started watching an amazon original called The Feed which is very similar but not the same plot, and I thought for sure it was based on Anderson's book, but no - there is also a book called The Feed with this premise. I'm... surprised no one has pointed out the "similarities"
posted by FirstMateKate at 6:56 AM on May 12, 2020
Not a single mention of the word battery or power in any of the articles. This is pie in the sky BS.
posted by furtive at 8:39 AM on May 12, 2020
posted by furtive at 8:39 AM on May 12, 2020
No no no no, you guys have this all wrong. They aren't going to make the device smaller, they are going to make our eyes bigger!
Yes. They are.
posted by Splunge at 10:33 AM on May 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
Yes. They are.
posted by Splunge at 10:33 AM on May 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
Not a single mention of the word battery or power in any of the articles. This is pie in the sky BS.
It probably would be a capacitor instead of a battery and have an antenna that allows wireless recharge. There's already tech for that, but it's unclear to me how long the display could run off a single charge, and recharging it while wearing would mean having a the transmitter within a centimetre.
posted by BrotherCaine at 3:20 PM on May 12, 2020
It probably would be a capacitor instead of a battery and have an antenna that allows wireless recharge. There's already tech for that, but it's unclear to me how long the display could run off a single charge, and recharging it while wearing would mean having a the transmitter within a centimetre.
posted by BrotherCaine at 3:20 PM on May 12, 2020
There exist certain types of LCD that, somewhat like eink displays, only use power to change state. They aren't zero power, but pretty close. Problem is all the other stuff needed to communicate with the processing device still requires a lot of energy.
I'd much rather have glasses, TBH. I certainly wouldn't want a contact lens transmitting anything given that, by definition, it is in contact with the eye. It just so happens that the eye is the body part most sensitive to RF heating. Indeed, they are pretty much the only one that is of legitimate concern. Trading the hassle of carrying a notebook or other memory aid for a substantial risk of developing cataracts seems like a bad deal to me.
posted by wierdo at 5:34 PM on May 12, 2020
I'd much rather have glasses, TBH. I certainly wouldn't want a contact lens transmitting anything given that, by definition, it is in contact with the eye. It just so happens that the eye is the body part most sensitive to RF heating. Indeed, they are pretty much the only one that is of legitimate concern. Trading the hassle of carrying a notebook or other memory aid for a substantial risk of developing cataracts seems like a bad deal to me.
posted by wierdo at 5:34 PM on May 12, 2020
I already wear glasses whenever I'm awake so if some one would just bring out a hearing aid sized device that clips to the arm of a pair of glasses and didn't cost more than a used car that would be great.
posted by Mitheral at 6:50 PM on May 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by Mitheral at 6:50 PM on May 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
This article (IEEE Spectrum) has a picture of the actual display, close up, and also next to a bug. Oh, here’s another with pix of the working prototype...looks like an induction ring for power.
And there’s also color-blindness correcting contacts, with metamaterial surfaces, in the works too.
posted by sexyrobot at 10:11 PM on May 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
And there’s also color-blindness correcting contacts, with metamaterial surfaces, in the works too.
posted by sexyrobot at 10:11 PM on May 12, 2020 [1 favorite]
The company eventually plans to add the ability to zoom to its vision enhancement featuresWant!
posted by Mitheral at 6:56 AM on May 13, 2020
How is this possible? I am asking this quite literally, how are the optics possible that can focus the image onto the retina, given that it's touching the cornea?
Also the articles linked above were kinda deceptive in how they described the display, as it only has about 260 pixels across. Worse resolution than a Commodore 64.
posted by Sophont at 1:51 AM on May 14, 2020
Also the articles linked above were kinda deceptive in how they described the display, as it only has about 260 pixels across. Worse resolution than a Commodore 64.
posted by Sophont at 1:51 AM on May 14, 2020
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