Telephoto Contact Lens: Wearable Binoculars

Patent Status

Technology Description

A recently prototyped contact lens with optional zoom is currently under development with near-term applications for military ground troops who will have on-the-fly ability to switch from regular corrected (or uncorrected) vision to a zoom-view. In regular mode, the wearer will enjoy a 120-degree field-of-view at 20/20 clarity and with a blink of the eye switch to 3.5x optical zoom with a 12-degree field of view. A 10x optical zoom is also available with a supplementing eyeglass system currently in development.

Applications

Beyond the intended initial use by military personnel, a zoomable contact lens will find ready utility in many professional and recreational settings. Law enforcement, search and rescue, nature lovers, and sports enthusiasts will find a great benefit to wearable and un-obtrusive zoom-vision where carrying and handling traditional binoculars is burdensome or inconvenient.

State Of Development

This work is patent pending and under current development by the UC San Diego Photonics Systems Integration Lab within the Jacobs School of Engineering.