If you’ve seen any of the Terminator movies, or any other sci-fi film, you’re probably familiar with the idea of in-eye display systems. Even the newest Mission Impossible movie features contact lenses that allow the user to take pictures of what he’s looking at by blinking, then wirelessly transmit them to a printer. With a new patent assigned to the University of Washington, such futuristic features are becoming a reality in the present.

The patent discloses an active contact lens featuring an energy transfer antenna powering a display drive circuit. A data communications circuit is in signal communication with the display drive circuit, and light emitting diodes are powered through the energy transfer antenna. The contact further comprises a biosensor containing a functionalized silicon nanostructure, as well as a portable radio frequency mobile power supply that may be attached to the user’s belt, and a base station.

Prior art has already conceived of ocular display technology, in the form of wearable display devices such as head-mounted displays that project images directly onto the user’s retina. But with the micro-scale electronic components positioned directly on the surface of the contact lens, the present invention minimizes the need required by other technologies for the user to look towards a fixed display device. This active contact lens system allows for full situational awareness and mobility by enabling real-time information display.

The image display employs image transformation algorithms such that the user can focus on the displayed images. Each pixel of display forms a collimated beam that may be projected on the retina such that the beam is interpreted as a far-field source, allowing the user to properly process the image.

Potential applications considered in this disclosure include gaming, virtual reality, and military uses. Perhaps the most beneficial, however, are the applications provided by the biosensors. These components may measure temperature, heart rate, pressure, etc. and send the information to the lenses’ base station via radio signal to allow for real time monitoring of the user’s vitals. The biosensors allow for continuous sampling of the interstitial fluid on the user’s cornea. This fluid is in indirect contact with blood serum through capillaries in the eye, and contains many markers that are used in blood analysis to monitor a patient’s health. Wearing these lenses will allow for continuous assessment of the user’s fatigue level, as well as early detection of infectious components without taking a blood sample. This capability also provides exciting possibilities for continuous blood glucose level monitoring for diabetics, without the pain and inconvenience of finger pricking.

Further applications include visible and infrared cameras, adaptive telelenses, high-resolution color displays and even light detecting components as shown in Mission Impossible to capture and transmit images of what the user sees. The possibilities are limitless.

For more, see this video: