Modern technology continues to astound us. Though it would be much more remarkable and efficient, if renewable energy is being used by such technology. Google may just be able to do that. Google was recently awarded a patent for solar-powered contact lenses by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It seems this kind of contact lens can do much more than just correct eye problems. This new technology has the capability to communicate with computers and collect user bio data.
Google previously announced that they were developing a smart contact lens project. The project aims to measure glucose levels in tears via a glucose sensor and a micro chip. Google teamed up with Sanofi, a French Pharmaceutical company, to aid diabetic patients with much more advanced tools or devices especially in treating Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. But it seems diabetes care is not the only thing on Google's mind. The newly released patent reveals new potential use cases for the lens technology.
The patent included sensors that will be able to detect the wearer's biological information which includes allergens, alcohol content and body temperature. Allergen sensors can be very beneficial especially to those with life threatening allergies arising from pollen, pets and dust mites. And how will this device be powered? The lens will have photo detector sensors and solar cells that would be able to collect light energy to constantly power the device. This ability enables the lens to receive data which means it can communicate with mobile and computer devices. Taking it another step further, Google also shared that the contact lenses may also read bar codes.
The patent is not a sure thing and the Google's Solar Powered Contact Lens may not be fully accomplished in the near future. It is merely Google's way of footmarking the technology. For now, we continue to monitor Google's progress.
