Smart contact lenses are gaining popularity in health-tech circles for both diagnostic and recreational purposes, such as monitoring glucose levels, receiving targeted drug delivery for ocular diseases, experiencing augmented reality, and reading news updates with data displayed literally in your face.
Providing reliable energy to these tiny electronic devices, however, has proven challenging. Current options are to remove them and plug them in, or deliver wireless power charging that requires holding a charger within centimeters of your eye for long periods. Neither is ideal.
Now here comes the AMAZING part…
Researchers at the University of Utah developed a hybrid energy solution that combines tiny, flexible, photovoltaic sensors in the lenses (essentially solar cells that capture light) plus the electrolytes found in the eye’s tears. Each time the user blinks it creates a chemical reaction between the electrolytes and metallic materials in the lenses to create a natural biofuel.
The two “halves” of this energy generation come together via a power-management circuit with an integrated 11-millifarad supercapacitor—which converts the voltages to DC, boosts them, and ultimately delivers about 150 microwatts of power at a stable 3.3 volts—no antennae, external battery pack, or special charging case required.
Will it burn your eyeballs, you ask? Maybe. I’m sure any company that attempts to bring this new technology to market will need an expert Quality Assurance partner like Intertek to ensure the product is safe to use. But soon you could be reading BBEB.com news via smart contacts, powered by tears of sheer joy.
