Spy Contact Lenses Could Change the Way We See the World

A pair of smart contact lenses with an embedded camera and display could let you see things in the dark or zoom in on objects you can’t otherwise see. They’re just one of a number of technologies that tech companies are working on, and they could soon take the place of smartphones, smartwatches, augmented reality glasses, and virtual reality headsets.

The cameras inside these smart lenses could even be used to identify objects and people, a technology that’s already being developed by startups such as Mojo Vision. The company has been working on these devices for years, and they’re finally ready to be tested in the real world.

Besides being cool, these devices also have a wide variety of practical applications. For example, they can help diabetics manage their blood sugar levels, or help those with glaucoma control their intraocular pressure.

They can also record and live stream everything you see, a feature that’s especially handy for crimefighters. In fact, there’s a lot of talk that Batman might use them in the next season of the movie.

These lenses can also be used for a whole host of other things, from taking photos and video with a blink of the eye to measuring glucose levels or helping patients with aniridia, an underdevelopment of the iris.

While this technology might seem cool at first, it has a lot of privacy concerns. They can record unconsented recordings of intimate interactions and are prone to hacking, malfunction, and theft.

Aside from the privacy concerns, it’s a huge question how these smart contact lenses will function in real life. While these devices are a significant step towards the future, they’re still in the early stages of development and likely years away from being commercially available.

There’s no denying that there are some amazing possibilities with smart contact lenses, but the reality is that they’re a long way from becoming a mainstream product. Samsung and Sony filed patents in 2014 for their designs, but the reality of these products is still years away.

The lenses could be used to track things like your heart rate and cycling speed without putting a helmet on, or they might be able to send you notifications from your phone or other devices. The information might be displayed on the lens’s surface, just like a phone’s display.

Scientists at the University of Southern California San Diego are working on a biomimetic soft zoom contact lens that changes its focal length when it detects tiny electrical signals caused by blinking. This means that they’re not just smart but they can also change their size and shape to match your iris.

Whether these devices are a fad or a major breakthrough is still up for debate, but the future of tech will be full of them. From medical to policing to industrial, military and security applications, these cameras are bound to make an impact.

In the meantime, they will be the subject of conspiracy theories, hypothetical analyses and spy movies. And they’re bound to present a whole new set of problems for those trying to protect their privacy in the age of surveillance.