Google Technologies: Injecting Electronics into Eyeballs

As other groups are working hard on creating smart glasses, Google is continuing the next stages of their electronic contact lenses development. Their next step on this new and exciting technology, is to inject the vision-enhancing electronics that goes straight into the user’s eyeballs.

This technology has a patent that filed by Google, as well as Andrew Jason Conrad. Conrad is currently the ‘head’ of Verily in the life sciences department of Google, which is a parent company of Alphabet. This side company is calling for an Intra-Ocular Device that would allow the device to ‘sit’ just inside the lens capsule of the user’s eye. While this new technology is not a complete working computer, the processor inside, as well as the controllers, would live within an external interface device, such as connecting to your smartphone. This will also include a series of sensors, electronic lenses, a battery and bio-interactive components.

In order to provide electricity to this device, Google’s patent article mentions something of an energy harvesting antenna (Which does not scream out “MATRIX “in the making at all.). Google proclaims that this antenna technology will be able to completely capture the energy emitting from incident radio radiation, also doubling over as another means of wireless communication with your external device. However, there is the alternative of the device that can be worn by the user, or has the ability to have it tucked away beside their bed, while still powering the wireless sensor while you sleep.

So how does this installation of technology directly into your eye, work? Patients will first get a hefty dose of an anesthetic to help you sleep through the surgery. A trained surgeon will then proceed to cutting a slit directly through the cornea and into the anterior chamber of your eye. This introduces fluid into the lens capsule in order to assist the positioning of the device. Shortly after, the fluid from your eye will become a solid again, which in return, couples the lens capsule as well as the device together. Google has described this as the ability to replace a section, if not all, of the patient’s natural eye lens; if it is in fact necessary to do.

The main goal of this new technology is to properly and safely improve, if not completely, restore the vision in those with major medical conditions that include cataracts and presbyopia. However, the patent must also provide the researchers with any other applications that are beyond the realm of medicine, in which must include details about depth and focus. This provides a virtual scene that is presented towards the user.

This is a major concern, as with any other patent filing, as there are no guarantees that the Google’s new technology ‘Intra-Ocular device’ concept can be materialized. However, please keep in mind that the company has also previously patented another type of technology that is called the ‘Smart Contact Lenses’ before the researchers broke ground on developing the real version, which obtains the ability to measure the blood glucose levels of the selected user. Provided that the company has enough time on their hands, this new invention can in return, become the new ‘HoloLens’ of future holograph technology. Although, not to be worn on top of one’s head, but rather, squeezed within your eyeball.

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Sources: PCWorld, AnonHQ, US Patent & Trademark Office, Microsoft HoloLens.

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