Contact lenses could soon pick up health issues and ‘tell’ you about them
Scientists say we might be one step closer to the 'vision of Internet-connected wireless implanted devices'
MOVE over Google Glass, contact lenses will soon be able to connect to the internet - according to experts.
Researchers at the University of Washington, US, say they've introduced a new way of communicating that allows power-constrained devices such as brain implants, contact lenses, credit cards and smaller wearable electronics to talk to everyday devices such as smartphones and watches.
And they claim they're closer than ever to making these gadgets a reality.
The new technology, called “interscatter communication", converts Bluetooth signals into Wi-Fi transmissions over the air.
Using only reflections, an interscatter device such as a smart contact lens converts Bluetooth signals from a smartwatch, for example, into Wi-Fi transmissions that can be picked up by a smartphone.
Lead researcher and engineer from the university Vikram Iyer explained: "Wireless connectivity for implanted devices can transform how we manage chronic diseases.
"For example, a contact lens could monitor a diabetic's blood sugar level in tears and send notifications to the phone when the blood sugar level goes down."
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Co-researcher Dr Vamsi Talla added: "Instead of generating Wi-Fi signals on your own, our technology creates Wi-Fi by using Bluetooth transmissions from nearby mobile devices such as smartwatches."
The research team say the technology in brain implants for example could treat conditions like eplipsy or Parkinson's Disease in future.
What is Interscatter?
Interscatter communication generates low-power Wi-Fi transmissions using everyday mobile devices.
In one example, Bluetooth signals from a smartwatch (left) transmit data from a neural device that can be implanted in a patient’s brain (right) to a smartphone via Wi-FI.
Source: University of Washington
Dr Vamsi Talla added: "Instead of generating Wi-Fi signals on your own, our technology creates Wi-Fi by using Bluetooth transmissions from nearby mobile devices such as smartwatches."
The new technique is described in a to be presented later this week at the annual conference of the Association for Computing Machinery’s in Brazil.