3D Printed Contact Lenses For Augmented Navigation

Image credit: Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute

Augmented reality contact lens have been created by Dr. Seol Seung-Kwon’s Smart 3D Printing Research Team at Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) and Professor Lim-Doo Jeong’s team at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). Through 3D Printing, the contact lenses are able to create Augmented-Reality based navigation, which presents a new standard of augmented reality interface, henceforth to be called AR. The prototypes developed by KERI and UNIST steps beyond wearable gear and into insert able equipment comparative to everyday contact lenses.

For years and decades, the development of augmented reality would be experimented with goggles, glasses and headgear; the virtual reality headsets were the first commercially viable equipment for the art and hobby industry. In 1998, the Eyetap, EyeTap created by the inventor Steve Mann created the metal frame Laser EyeTap was a computer-controlled laser light source run from “Glass Eye” camera. It used Optical Heads Up Display (OHUD) technology and used to provide monitor and camera function to the user. In 2013, Google started selling prototypes of “Google Glass” that also used OHUD technology but with over 10 years of development and higher resolution camera lens. The two systems were worn as regular glasses with the exception of added contact lenses, side mounted buttons or touch pad, the contacts made by KERI and UNIST require no button interface.