Future vision: Wearable tech that requires FDA approval

The rush is on to plug eyeglasses that augment your vision with a dose of media -- from the much-celebrated Google Glass project to a combine of specs created by Visux that my colleague Scott Stein sported the opposite night here at CES 2013.

And then there is Innovega, that is at CES this year to point out off its version of augmented-reality eyewear -- a setup that tries to one-up the others by giving a full-blown media expertise through glasses. If all goes as planned, folks eventually are going to be ready to watch HD movies or become absolutely immersed in a very game entirely through a combine of light-weight eyeglasses that create it appear to be you are looking a 240-inch TV. (Take that, all you manufacturers of large TVs, UN agency square measure filling the floors at CES.)

But we're obtaining earlier than things. Innovega's approach needs FDA approval as a result of it involves carrying a specialised lens system. which method, co-founder and business executive Steve Willey told Maine, will not be within the cards till 2014. Yet Willey, whose company is predicated in point of entry and port of entry, is creating spectacular progress and, not like ultimately year's CES, Willey currently contains a thanks to show however it all works. Sort of.

His CES booth is outfitted with a mannequin that is carrying a version of the contact lenses; it contains HD microprojectors therefore guests will see what the mannequin sees. during this case, that is a read of individuals edge regarding CES, and no matter media Willey and his team overlay -- like within the image below that shows the Innovega emblem overlaid on the point of entry skyline. That half -- the media -- is solely sent to the glasses from a smartphone or portable computer.

The goal here is to induce removed from the Google model, that uses what is called a glanceable show. once you glance through those kinds of specialised glasses, you see a postage-stamp kind image off to the facet that shows media -- your text messages, say, along side your Twitter feed or, doubtless, ads. (It's Google, after all.)

While this is often nice, Willey aforesaid it falls wanting what folks can eventually wish -- a full-media overlay that either becomes the sole issue the user will see (as would be necessary for a video game), or a combination of media and reality. the matter with making the total, position is that human eyes cannot specialize in objects that square measure right up against them. that is wherever the specialised contact lenses return in; Innovega's lenses modify the user to specialize in objects that square measure superclose whereas additionally that specialize in whatever's within the distance.

The other a part of the setup is fairly simple: alittle camera attaches to a combine of light-weight glasses -- in theory, they may be any sports glasses -- that comes the media onto the lenses. due to the contact lenses, you -- or, for now, the mannequin -- will specialize in AN overlay displayed across the lens of the eyeglasses.

"People desire a huge image," aforesaid Willey, UN agency fashioned the corporate in 2008. "Natural vision is full HD and bird's-eye, and what we're delivering starts to rival natural vision -- a mix of virtual and planet for cool amusement counting on wherever you are standing, wherever you are looking. the most issue is that you just see each in good focus."