Bionic contact lenses

I recently came across an article in BBC on Bionic contact lenses that I thought was very interesting. Though not ready for prime time yet, if successful, this research will be very exciting for the future of email marketing. 

Basically, Bionic contact lenses are a new generation of contact lenses that an project images in front of the eyes. This technology could allow wearers to read floating texts and emails or augment their sight with computer-generated images. It is still in the development stage and not nearly perfected, but researches are bullish on its potential after preliminary success. According to Babak Parviz, an University of Washington (Seattle) researcher working on this project, “Looking through a completed lens, you would see what the display is generating superimposed on the world outside."  

Obviously, there are many other possible uses for these virtual displays. Drivers or pilots could see a vehicle’s speed projected onto the windshield. Video-game companies could use the contact lenses to completely immerse players in a virtual world without restricting their range of motion. And for communications, people on the go could surf the Internet on a midair virtual display screen that only they would be able to see. 

According to the researchers, a full-fledged display won’t be available for a while, but a version that has a basic display with just a few pixels could be operational “fairly quickly”!

From what I understand, early tests have so far shown that the device is safe and feasible, but the current prototype lenses work only if it is within centimeters of the wireless battery!; finding a good power source is the next challenge that these researches are attempting to tackle. This is a really interesting innovation worth closely following.