Putting a camera in contacts is a technology that has been in the works for some time now, and it is starting to take form. The primary purpose of having a camera embedded into a contact lens is for clearer pictures and images that can also be captured and frozen in time. It will also enable people to take photos without warning. Although the exact date of commercially producing this technology has not been officially made public, ongoing tests are so far producing very positive results. And the people behind this excellent technology say it is just a matter of time before it becomes a reality, which will change image technology.

How a camera in contacts will work

Size here is everything. Owing to the size of contact lenses, almost all the components needed to create a camera on contact lenses will be miniature, tiny and gaunt. Some as thin as a single strand of hair. This would include the camera to capture images, a sensor, and a control circuit. With all those components, a source of power is required as well. This comes in the form of a radio frequency, (RF). The primary source of power for this camera will come from an external battery. The power will go through the radio receiver, an integrated circuit which in turn would light the LED (light-electronic diode).

“Unwanted movements of your eyeball can also be compensated for, thereby removing any resulting blur from the pictures and other sensors are capable of measuring factors such as pressure, infrared and acceleration,” said Paul Monckton from Forbes. “The accelerometer could be used to detect when the user is moving at a high speed, so that a fast shutter speed can automatically be selected.”

For the image capturing to be successful, the control circuit will have a processor to instruct the camera on how and when image capturing can be done. Another important aspect is a way to communicate with the remote gadgets through a medium that is not wired physically to the other components, hence the importance of the RF.

Other components

Equally crucial to the workings of the camera in the contact lens is the power package. This will comprise of a capacitor to regulate the dosage of power, a solar source of energy which can be used as a back-up, a temperature, power supply, which comes in handy in a situation where temperatures surge, a mechanically derived source of energy as well as an electrochemical power source.

Data storage is also an integral part that is needed to complete this setup. This will facilitate where the captured images will be stored for posterity.

The final product

There are a few possibilities on how the final camera in lens product may be. Firstly, the camera can be in one or both of the lenses. With one eye or both eyes, capturing images in unison. Both scenarios would work out just fine.

Images could be captured in 2D or 3D depending on the contact lenses and the installed camera, or better still, the user could be given the option to select the most suitable mode to capture images.

The camera and lenses could also incorporate a display, where images can be previewed, edited, processed and interpreted to the final product.  The wireless receivers can then be used to communicate with auxiliary devices for transfer of data.

This, in turn, would help the user assess the final image and make any necessary adjustments for quality images in the future.