Sporting circuits a few nanometers thick and grain-of-sand-sized light-emitting diodes, the lenses have full Count Zero potential. They’re also the product of some ingenious hackery: since contact lenses are delicate and circuit manufacture is hot and toxic, the researchers designed each component to attach itself only to certain other components. Their powder of circuits and diodes literally self-assembled into gadgetry when sprinkled onto the lens plastic.
So how long do geeks have to wait? According to the press release, a stripped-down display with just a few operational pixels could be available “fairly quickly.” More complicated lenses will take longer, but for good reason: they’ll be wireless-enabled and powered by a combination of radio waves and solar energy.
Oh, crap. DOKTOR SLEEPLESS just came to mind. Newsfeds, TV, and porn fed straight to my lenses are dancing about my dreams. I’m pretty sure it’s not the first ficitonal use of that idea. It’s the most recent on my mind.
(via wired)
