Researchers develop lens that extends the focal length when blinking

The University of California is developing a contact lens that zooms following the commands of eye movements, either blinking or moving the eyes from side to side.

Several researchers from the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering of the University of California, in the United States, have published an investigation in which they have created a soft lens that zooms in twice when blinking, so that it follows the user’s eye commands, expanding view artificially.

This lens is considered a soft robot, since it consists of two parts the electrical and robotic part and the part composed of the elements simulate the tissues of living beings, such as cells or muscles. The latter respond to the electrical impulses of the eye movement to operate the mechanism.

In the case of these lenses, they use electrooculographic signals generated by eye movements (up, down or from right to left, and vice versa) to control the deformation and change of the focal length of the biomimetic soft lens. The deformation is a response to the electrical impulses generated by eye movements.

Since this technology responds directly to electricity and mechanical movements of the eye, it is independent of the user’s vision. According to the investigation, the focal length extension could reach 32 percent.

As its developers explain, this robotic lens is not yet ready for commercialization, but “it has the potential to be used in visual prostheses, adjustable glasses and remote robotics in the future.”

Source: dpa