Google files patent for directly injectable smart device into eyeballs
Lately, Google has filed a patent for a smart device that could be injected directly into eyeballs. The device would replace the natural lens in your eyes. Most probably, the device would be used to correct poor vision. However, it could also be used for other tasks.
The device has a lens and also has storage, sensors, a battery and radio components so that it can communicate with other devices. The device will require charging and it will derive energy from an ‘energy-harvesting antenna’.
The contact lens will be included under the Verily umbrella, the life sciences division of Alphabet, Google’s parent company. The inventor of the new device is Jason Conrad, head of Verily. The device makes use of a liquid-type solution that attaches itself to the membrane of the lens within the eye.
It is not the first time when Google has focused on eyes. Its Google Glass is a commonly known product. In 2014, Google filed patent for another smart contact lens. It aimed to track glucose levels through tears. The device is considered to be beneficial for diabetics.
Competition in this field is gripping, as it has also been found that Sony has filed a patent for a smart contact lens that allows people to view videos, images, and other information. Samsung has also come up with a contact lens in the start of the year.
According to a report in Digital Trends by Christian de Looper, “The device itself includes a lens, but on top of that it has storage, sensors, a battery, and even radio components so it can communicate with other devices, such as an external module that offers processing power. “A battery?” you may ask. “Won’t that require charging?” Why yes, it will. But instead of plugging a micro USB cable into your eyeball, the battery draws energy through an “energy-harvesting antenna.” It’s not clear exactly how this would work, only that it would not involve a micro USB cable.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen Google focus on the eyes. Apart from Google Glass, the company filed a patent for a smart contact lens back in 2014. This lens was aimed at tracking your glucose levels through your tears, which would be particularly helpful for those with diabetes. These contact lenses now fall under the Verily umbrella, the life sciences division of Alphabet, Google’s parent company. It’s most likely that this new device will also fall under Verily, as it lists Jason Conrad, the lead of Verily, as the inventor.
A report published in the Android Headlines said, “Google Glass is a commonly known product and throughout last year there were multiple reports that Google is working on other sight-based wearables like smart contact lenses and they are not the only one with a very recent report coming through and highlighting a patent Samsung filed for a similar lens-based wearable product. However, this latest one from Google takes contact lenses to a whole new level. While the general use of this product described in this latest patent is in line with the purpose of contact lenses (and does look to address vision correction), unlike contact lenses, the patent details a device which is injected directed into the eyeball.”
The patent which is dated April 28 of this year notes that the procedure makes use of a liquid-type solution which hardness and attaches itself to the membrane of the lens within the eye, essentially replacing the function of the natural lens. What is even more intriguing is that the device is said to come equipped with storage, sensors, radio and battery components and is powered by an “energy harvesting antenna.” All of which when coupled together, help to correct the user’s vision.
“The planned device injected into the eye contains a number of tiny components: storage, sensors, radio, battery and an electronic lens. The eyeball device gets power wirelessly from an “energy harvesting antenna.” The patent describes what looks like an external device to interface with the eyeball computer. The two will communicate through a radio and the “interface device” contains the processor to do the necessary computing,” according to a news report published by Forbes News.
Andrew Jason Conrad is listed as the inventor and he’s the head of Verily. Conrad was associated with the Google Contact Lens project. An article last month in Stat News describes an exodus in talent from Verily because of difficulties working with Conrad. Before Google, he was the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Laboratory Corporation of America. He has a PhD in cell biology from the University of California in Los Angeles.
