New smart glasses adjust to your vision automatically
Scientists have developed glasses that change focus automatically, depending on what you’re looking at.
[Oct 19, 2021: The Brighter Side of News / IANS]
It can be a hassle, taking your glasses on and off to switch between near and distant vision. There are bifocals, of course, plus there are now glasses on which you can adjust the focus. Scientists from the University of Utah, however, have gone one better – they've developed glasses that change focus automatically, depending on what you're looking at.
Created by a team led by Prof. Carlos Mastrangelo and doctoral student Nazmul Hasan, the glasses feature "liquid lenses" that change shape.
Each lens is made up of two clear rubber membranes – one in the front and one in the back – with a layer of clear viscous glycerin sandwiched between them. Three mechanical actuators push the rear membrane in and out, compressing or releasing the glycerin and thus changing the curvature of the lens. This, in turn, changes its focal length.
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It's not unlike the technology utilized in the Adlens adjustable-focus glasses, although they're operated manually. By contrast, the Utah glasses incorporate an electronic distance meter in the bridge, which uses pulses of infrared light to determine how far away objects are from the eyes. Whenever that distance changes, it instructs the actuators to reshape the lenses accordingly. They do so in a claimed 14 milliseconds.
The first time that a person uses the glasses, they calibrate them to their optical prescription via Bluetooth using a smartphone app. From that point on, they only need to recalibrate them as their prescription changes.
According to Mastrangelo, a rechargeable battery in a commercial version of the specs should be good for over 24 hours of use. That final version of the glasses – which will be considerably lighter and less bulky than the current prototype – may be commercially available within three years. The technology is currently being developed by spinoff company Sharpeyes.
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Tags: #New_Innovations, #Smart_Glasses, #Vision_Correction, #Smartphone, #The_Brighter_Side_of_News
Joseph Shavit
Science News Writer, Editor-At-Large and Publisher
Joseph Shavit, based in Los Angeles, is a seasoned science journalist, editor and co-founder of The Brighter Side of News, where he transforms complex discoveries into clear, engaging stories for general readers. With experience at major media groups like Times Mirror and Tribune, he writes with both authority and curiosity. His work spans astronomy, physics, quantum mechanics, climate change, artificial intelligence, health, and medicine. Known for linking breakthroughs to real-world markets, he highlights how research transitions into products and industries that shape daily life.