Google applies to patent injectable device to replace natural lens in eye
30 Apr 2016
Google's new patent filing, describes a method to inject a device directly into your eyeballs to replace the natural lens in the human eye, Forbes reported.
The device, which is injected in a solution, attaches to the lens capsule. While the intra-ocular device is mostly intended to correct poor vision, it is something more than just a permanent set of contact lenses or an alternative to surgery.
According to Forbes, the device includes an electronic lens, storage, sensors, a battery and radio components meant to communicate with a separate, external device that has some additional processing power. The internal battery, the one that would live inside the user's eyeball, would draw power from what the patent calls an "energy harvesting antenna."
Google first focused on eyeballs back in 2014, with the company filing a patent for smart contact lenses that included a very tiny wireless chip and the ability to monitor a wearer's glucose levels.
The search giant partnered with healthcare company Novartis to help develop the technology.