The Iron Man Vision: Meet the Dubai Start-up that is Creating Smart Contact Lenses with AI
Imagine being able to access information, communicate with others, and control devices with just your eyes. Surely sounds a bit fictional! Xpanceo begs to differ as the Dubai-based start-up has unveiled prototypes of its smart contact lens wearable tech, which aims to mimic the technology featured in the Iron Man films.
What is Xpanceo?
Xpanceo is a start-up founded by Roman Axelrod, a former engineer at Google and Facebook, who was inspired by the fictional character Tony Stark also known as Iron Man, and his advanced artificial intelligence system, JARVIS. Axelrod wanted to create a wearable device that could provide a seamless and immersive interface between humans and machines, without the need for bulky glasses, headsets, or screens.
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How does the smart contact lens work?
The smart contact lens is a thin, transparent, and flexible device that fits over the cornea of the eye. It contains a microchip, a battery, a camera, a speaker, a microphone, and a wireless transmitter. The lens can project images and text onto the retina, creating a virtual display that only the wearer can see. It can also capture images and videos, record audio, and scan the environment for information.
The lens can be controlled using voice, gestures, glances, and soon, brain waves. The wearable device can be connected to the internet, smartphones, computers, and other smart devices, enabling the user to access various applications and services. For instance, the user can check the weather, read the news, watch videos, play games, make calls, send messages, navigate directions, translate languages, and more.
What are the benefits and challenges of the smart contact lens?
The smart contact lens has the potential to revolutionize the fields of education, entertainment, health, security, and communication, by providing a personalized, interactive, and augmented reality experience. The lens could also enhance the abilities and quality of life of people with visual impairments, disabilities, or diseases.
However, the smart contact lens also poses some technical and ethical challenges, requiring a high level of miniaturization, integration, and biocompatibility, as well as a reliable and safe power source. The device also raises concerns about privacy, security, health, and social implications, as it could expose the user’s personal data, interfere with the natural vision, and affect human interaction, a prime example that raises philosophical implications of that sort of device is an episode of Black Mirror entitled “The Entire History of You.”. consequently, Xpanceo will need to address and provide explanations to such implications before society accepts the idea of using their wearable tech.
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What is the future of the smart contact lens?
Xpanceo plans to put the device on shelves by 2027, after human trials that are scheduled to be conducted within two years. The company, which in October raised $40 million in a seed funding round, hopes to make the device affordable and accessible to the masses, while also envisioning creating a platform that allows developers and users to create and share their applications and content for the smart contact lens.
Xpanceo is not the only company working on smart contact lenses. Other players in the field include Google, Samsung, Sony, and Mojo Vision, each with their approach and focus. The competition and innovation in the field suggest that the smart contact lens is not just a science fiction fantasy, but a realistic and promising wearable tech that could change the way we see and interact with the world.
