Forget smart glasses, smart contact lenses will soon be the wearable of the future.
Samsung filed paperwork for a patent that reveals that it is working on smart contact lenses that are equipped with a built-in camera.
If you recall, smart contact lenses is not a new concept. Google previously filed a patent for smart contacts back in 2012 that feature a small camera sensor that could be controlled by the user by blinking. It received its patents for the product in 2014, although it's still in development.
Interestingly enough, Samsung was found to have also filed a patent for smart lenses in 2014, only it did so in in South Korea. According to the patent, these smart contact lenses also feature a camera and motion detection sensors, along with an antenna and small display.
Instead of just being used to take photos and record videos (which it probably would be able to do), the lenses would provide an augmented reality experience. Images from the display would be projected directly into the eye. The user would be able to control the experience as well via blinking, but it will also need to run with a smartphone.
Just image playing a mobile game where you see and experience the virtual world while navigating the real world with nothing more than your smartphone in your pocket and contacts in your eyes.
Now that we know that Google and Samsung are both working on smart contact lenses, we can't help but wonder when we will see either company's wearables on the market. It's important to note that, while Samsung's version will aim to provide augmented reality experiences, Google's version is being designed to help diabetes patients manage their disease by detecting glucose in the bloodstream. That doesn't mean that the companies aren't quietly racing to get their product out first.
Then again, we expect them to run into some roadblocks, as some people may be concerned about privacy if people are walking around Terminator-style and recording them without their knowledge.
Samsung has not been granted the patent in South Korea yet, but at least we know that it has something up its sleeves.
Source: Sam Mobile
