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I have been seeing news and hearing talks on smart contact lenses for at least ten years (more if it was just speculation). The hurdles to be overcome are just staggering and these have delayed the actual availability of products. Samsung was possibly one of the first “big” companies to look into that but abandoned the idea few years ago (although thy have filed for a patent in 2019 of a smart contact lens to record video clips controllable through eye lids blinking). Google patented in 2014 a smart contact lens but nothing came out of it (so far).
Something, however, is changing, there is even a marketing report with estimate on smart contact lenses market till 2023.
At CES 2020 Mojo Vision, look at the clip below, has showcased a prototype contact lenses (for the time being not to be worn on the eye since they are still awaiting for regulatory approval – contact lenses are subject to medical approval) having an embedded “screen” with a 14,000 ppi resolution. In the prototype the screen is monochromatic (green) but they are confident it will be possible to have it in color. More tricky is the fact that the prototype needs an external computer and battery power. The lens, once ready for the market, will include a motion sensor, image sensor and radio capability, limited but sufficient processing capability and would be powered wirelessly.
These are really big hurdles to be overcome and Mojo Vision is not setting any delivery date. Powering and getting sure that the contact lenses could be worn for extended periods of time are possibly the biggest hurdles. If and once overcome the issue will become their affordability.
