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Samsung Has Patented An Augmented Reality Smart-Contact Lens

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Tom Hale

author

Tom Hale

Senior Journalist

Tom is a writer in London with a Master's degree in Journalism whose editorial work covers anything from health and the environment to technology and archaeology.

Senior Journalist

886 Samsung Has Patented An Augmented Reality Smart-Contact Lens
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Google Glass perhaps didn’t receive the earth-shattering response the company – and world – had expected. However, a proposal that Samsung appears to have in the works could be the augmented reality wearable tech everybody is holding out for.

It looks like the Korean tech giant has been thinking about creating the world’s first "smart" contact lenses, able to take photographs with the blink of an eye, technology blog Sammobile reports.

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Samsung has filed a patent in South Korea for a smart contact lens fitted with a camera and image display. In addition, it will feature sensors that can control certain functions simply by blinking. The concept design requires an accompanying smartphone to do some of the leg-work, which would be wirelessly connected to the lenses.

The patent application says that the plan was originally applied for in September 2014, but has only recently been publically published. The patent, along with 29 pages of Korean text, features some early blueprint designs of the lens, which you can check out below.

Don’t hold your hopes up too high, though. A patent is not a definitive go-ahead for any product and is often used to prevent a rival company running with the idea. It’s also not shown on the patent application if it has even been granted. Google also has two similar patents that have been collecting dust for two years.

Nonetheless, it’s exciting times for technology. Who knows, maybe our chip-eyed grandkids will one day laugh at a time when our phone wasn't stuck onto our eyeballs.  

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All image credits: Samsung/Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service


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technologyTechnology
  • tag
  • contact lens,

  • samsung,

  • augmented reality,

  • wearable tech,

  • Google glass

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