Smart Contact Lenses

5TH YEAR ON THE LIST

Smart contacts will allow people to experience augmented and diminished reality without having to wear glasses.

KEY INSIGHT

Smart contact lenses, embedded with sensors and electronic components, can display text and images. Some can make real-time adjustments to help people with presbyopia (the loss of the eyes’ ability to focus on very near objects, such as a restaurant menu).

EXAMPLES

Several companies have developed smart contact lenses that act as a headsup display for wearers. Mojo Vision developed a heads-up display specifically for athletes. Partnering with a host of companies, including Adidas (running), 18Birdies (golf), and Wearable X (yoga), Mojo Vision is developing a new type of wearable interface for sports training. So, runners could see their metrics, such as pace and distance, in their field of vision without having to glance down at a watch. Golfers could see the angle of their club and likely trajectory of the ball. InWith Corp. developed a soft contact lens that connects wearers to important, real-time information that they would normally try to find on their phone—such as speed limits and maps—but they could safely do so while driving. The company is also developing a soft contact lens that could eliminate the need for multifocal lenses and reading glasses.

DISRUPTIVE IMPACT

Smart contact lenses must gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval before heading to market. Once they do, there could be a profound impact on athletics and personal training, as wearers gain a potential competitive advantage over others. Sports leagues and competition hosts will need to determine whether smart contact lenses should be allowed during competition. Smart contact lenses are a new interface—which means that content creators, game developers, and UX designers will have an entirely new playground to explore.

EMERGING PLAYERS

• Mojo Vision • InWith • Form • Innovega