Augmented reality lends could be the end of blindness

Augmented Reality contect lens (not actual device)

Augmented Reality Technology
Augmented reality has been a technology that has been seeing most use in terms of marketing and video games. To date, the practical uses for the technology have been few and far between, despite the growing rate at which researchers are using the technology in the fields of medicine and science. Researchers from the University of Washington have developed and new optical device that seeks to lend more practicality to the technology and lead it away from the realm of novelty.

The team of researchers has developed a prototype bionic lens that is capable of making use of augmented reality technology. The lens – very similar to a normal contact lens – was safety implanted on a rabbit. The lens is capable of receiving radio transmissions, which could then be translated by the eye into a picture the brain could comprehend. Researchers were able to stimulate the rabbit’s brain by presenting it with a series of augmented reality displays.

In its current state, the lens is too small for the human eye and would sit too close to the eye, making focus impossible. Researchers are currently working to fix this issue, but say that the lens is safe for human use otherwise. The possibilities for such a device include bringing sight to the blind as the lens itself works by translating radio signals into images that are sent directly to the brain.

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