A team of researchers from the University of Utah College of Engineering have been working on and developing a set of smart glasses that have the ability to automatically focus on what the user is looking at. These “smart glasses” are convenient single-device solutions for users whether they are affected by myopia or hyperopia and it can switch between focus levels as fast as 14 milliseconds, so it is not distracting to the user. From the bridge of the frame fires out pulses of infrared light, allowing the glasses to judge the distance of an object being looked at. Using glycerin enclosed in flexible rubber-like membranes which are then adjusted by built-in actuators allows the solution to act as a variable lens, changing curvature to adjust the focus. The smart glasses are powered by a rechargeable battery housed on the frame itself.
“Most people who get reading glasses have to put them on and take them off all the time, You don’t have to do that anymore. You put these on, and it’s always clear.” said Carlos Mastrangelo, the research team leader. The glasses also have a smart phone app companion that allows users to input their prescription level and calibrates the glasses to their personal comfort and for remote adjustment when needed.
The prototype is quite bulky for now since the mechanism design is still in its early stages and it was actually put on display at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas recently. Mastrangelo expects a final, lighter, more fashionable working retail product to hit the market within three years. His team has already partnered up with startup company Sharpeyes LLC. for mass production and commercialization.
