Polymer Film Coating Can Turn Contact Lenses Into Computer Screens

Wearable Tech

If you thought the world would be stuck with the Google Glass for wearable visual tech, check out this new polymer film coating that can turn contact lenses into a computer screen.

Scientists from the University of South Australia’s Future Industries Institute have created “proof of concept” research that allows a polymer film coating to conduct electricity on a contact lens, which means it has the potential to build miniature electrical circuits that can safely be worn by a person.

"We're talking about anything from a simple sensor that can measure the amount of glucose in your blood through to actually creating electronic displays so rather than having something like a pair of glasses that's acting like a computer, you can actually generate images directly on your contact lens," UniSA researcher from the FII, Associate Professor Drew Evans said.

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The study was published in ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.

The technology is a huge breakthrough in both the wearable tech and contact lens industry. And the excitement that thing technology brings is largely because of the new opportunities that come along with it.

"We have always known that our film coating technologies had potential for many applications and now we have taken that a step further by proving that we can make biocompatible, conducting polymers at the nanoscale and grow them directly on a contact lens."

The material has not only proven to be safe, but also has a wide range of possible applications, particularly for personalized health monitoring applications who struggle with chronic health problems.