Google patents contact lenses with cameras

In 2012, Google filed a patent for a contact lens with an integrated camera. The company states in the application that the camera lenses can be used to guide blind people on the street, but that sighted people can also benefit from the technology.

PatentBolt discovered Google’s application. Although the US company filed the application in the fourth quarter of 2012, it was not made public until April. The lenses would have the capacity to recognize light, color, patterns, objects, faces and movement. Operation must be through the user’s blink patterns and the opaque parts of the contact lenses would not be within the user’s field of view.

In particular, Google gives examples of applications for the blind. For example, at an intersection, the camera of the contact lenses can be used to determine whether there are cars nearby and whether they are driving or not. Subsequently, a signal can be sent wirelessly to, for example, an Android smartphone, which alerts the user with a spoken warning that it is not safe to cross the road. People who can see well can of course also benefit from warnings about the safety of an intersection. In addition, the lenses can help blind and partially sighted people recognize faces. Facial recognition would also offer advantages for police officers: officers can have a face run through a database without the suspect being aware of it. The application also mentions a zoom function.