Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Authors
Siddhartha Gurung (siddhartha19888@yahoo.co.in)
Aniket Kumar (nonhik@yahoo.com)
Abstract: promises many things, most notably this could well be the
beginning of the Computer Human Interface of the future.
People don't think twice about wearing a
Bluetooth headset to have conversations on their cell I. Introduction:
phones. Well, one day it might not be unusual to wear a It is not often in this era of rampant technological
contact lens that projects the phone's display directly onto innovation that a fundamentally new concept surfaces.
the eye. Researchers at the University of Washington have
The Bionic Contact lens is a product of it.
taken an important first step toward building contact
A. What is Bionics?
lenses that could do just that. By incorporating metal
The field of bionics concerns the systematic
circuitry and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) into a polymer-
based lens, they have created a functional circuit that is technical implementation of solutions nature has found
safe to the eyes. for particular problems. Today, there are many new,
fascinating approaches for developing bionic
According to researchers the ultimate goals were
innovations due to recent dynamic advances in
to see if it would be possible to build a display that could
biological research and technology – especially at the
superimpose images onto a person's field of view, while
molecular level. While biotechnology addresses the
still allowing her to see the real world. Also they wanted to
scientific-technical realm lying between biology and
make a lot of functional devices that are really tiny, and
which can be incorporated into a contact lens to do a lot chemistry, bionics closes the gaps separating the fields
more than just improve vision. Ideally, installing or of biology, physics and engineering. Bionics pursues an
removing the bionic lens would be as easy as popping a interdisciplinary approach to solving application
contact lens in or out, and once installed the wearer would oriented problems. The results of bionic research and
barely know the gadget was there. The researchers placed development are, however, never reducible to a one to
the lens in a rabbit's eye for 20 minutes and found no
one copy of the models in nature which provided the
adverse effects. However, they did not turn on the
original inspiration.
electronics while the lens was in the rabbit's eye. Future
versions, the scientists believe, could serve as a flexible
B. Technology of the Contact Lenses
plastic platform for applications such as surfing the
Internet on a virtual screen, immersing gamers in virtual
worlds and monitoring patient’s medical conditions. A Bionic contact lens is simply a polymer-
based lens incorporated with a metal circuitry and light-
The most pressing problem was how to attach the emitting diodes (LEDs). It is having the capability to
electronic components—each thinner than a human hair
connect to a wireless device and provide a visual image
—to the delicate polymer of a contact lens. Bionic contact
of the data that would normal display on the device into
lenses are in the trial stages because there are many health
ones field of vision. Ultra thin antennas, a few
and technical issues that still need to be fixed. Though in
nanometers thick, are used to send information
its infancy, the combination of a wearable contact lens
with embedded optoelectronic and electronic devices wirelessly to devices.
did not turn on the electronics while the lens was in the
rabbit's eye. As they thought they have to be careful
about what happens to the eye when it turns on. It is a
functioning circuit. It could generate some heat.
Researchers need to take all the possible precautions to
make sure this is safe.
II. Hurdles
(a) First challenge was designing the surface of the
lens so the electronics didn't block regular vision.
(b) The more pressing problem was how to attach the
electronic components—each thinner than a human
hair—to the delicate polymer of a contact lens.
(c) Building the lenses was a challenge because
materials that are safe for use in the body, such as
the flexible organic materials used in contact
The bionic lens is made from a polyethylene- (d) Display circuitry couldn't be made small and light
tetraphthalate substrate-which is a kind of plastic used enough to be placed on a contact lens without a
in beverage bottles. It is covered with metal wires for noticeable increase in the lens's weight.
connecting the LEDs. In addition to wires, the (e) Micro fabrication Technique:
researchers used chemicals to carve out circular Direct placement would probably damage the lens
indentations in which the LEDs would be placed. and be too time consuming. So researchers built a
The biggest challenge in building working separate, nano-size metal component and mixed them
electronics and opto-electronics into plastic is that these together so that they appeared like a fine powder. This
devices must be made with high heat that would melt powder was then placed in a vial of fluid and poured
the plastic. To get around this problem, researchers over a pitted lens surface. Each pit corresponded to a
fabricated LEDs on a separate substrate, ensuring that particular component, so as the mixture washed over
the devices could easily be removed and transferred the lens, the components found their positions.
onto the plastic lens. They coated the fully assembled A molecular adhesive force known as capillary
electronic lenses with polymethyl methacrylate action—the same property that allows plants to "suck
(PMMA), a biocompatible material. In the final step, up" water—locked the pieces into place. The lenses
the researchers moulded the plastic into the shape of a were then put into the eyes of lab rabbits, which
lens. showed no signs of adverse effects after at least 20
D. Testing on a live eye minutes of wear.
The lenses have been tested on rabbits, however
testing on humans has not yet been approved. The
researchers placed the lens in a rabbit's eye for 20
minutes and found no adverse effects. However, they
hopefully manipulating the image and changing its
perceived location in such a way that the viewer would
have the feeling of seeing an in-focus picture suspended
in midair. But he agreed that the challenge will be a
complicated one.
(h) How to give power supply:
If size isn’t necessarily a limitation, adequate
power could be. Hence researchers are working on the
issue of how to run displays or biosensors without the
need for awkward batteries. So far, the prototype’s lens-
mounted antenna has shown promise in collecting radio
(f) Another big obstacle was resolving the frequency waves and turning them into useful energy.