Vision of the future seen in bionic contact lens
Prototype includes light-emitting diodes, basic wiring and a tiny antenna


Thumper has seen the future.

Researchers at the University of Washington have created the prototype for a bionic contact lens — recently tested on rabbits — that includes light-emitting diodes, basic wiring for electronic circuits and even a tiny antenna. Future versions, the scientists believe, could serve as a flexible plastic platform for applications such as surfing the Internet on a virtual screen, immersing gamers in virtual worlds and monitoring patients’ medical conditions.

Babak Parviz, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington, said he and his collaborators began by thinking about contact lenses and their normal purpose of correcting vision. What if his group’s collective expertise in nanotechnology and microfabrication could transform the lenses into something else entirely?

Adding displays directly onto the lenses, visible to the wearers but no one else, could project critical information onto windshields for drivers or pilots or superimpose computer images onto real-world objects for training exercises. And with a wireless connection to the Internet, the lenses could allow bus or train riders to surf the Web on virtual screens suspended in midair or pave the way for gaming enthusiasts to immerse themselves in virtual worlds with no restrictions on their range of motion (although perhaps adding a further nuisance for fellow commuters).