IMEC Centre of Microsystems Technology at Ghent University in Belgium has developed a new spherical curved LCD display, which can be embedded in contact lenses to allow text message to be sent directly into a contact lens.
The new LCD-based technology allows using the entire display surface and its application is a ‘one pixel, fully covered contact lens acting as adaptable sunglasses.’
The new technology will allow information including text messages from a mobile phone to be projected onto a contact lens worn in the human eye.
Project chief researcher Jelle De Smet said normally, flexible displays using liquid crystal cells are not designed to be formed into a new shape, especially not a spherical one.
"Thus, the main challenge was to create a very thin, spherically curved substrate with active layers that could withstand the extreme molding processes," Smet said.
"Moreover, since we had to use very thin polymer films, their influence on the smoothness of the display had to be studied in detail.
"By using new kinds of conductive polymers and integrating them into a smooth spherical cell, we were able to fabricate a new LCD-based contact lens display."
The future research is aimed at fully autonomous electronic contact lenses embedded with the developed display and could be used for medical purposes and the display can also be used as a head-up display.
