Smart Glasses
As most people get older, they have problems with how they see, because the lenses in their eyes start to get stiff and they are unable to change shape as easily as before. As a result, objects that are near start to become difficult to see clearly, which means many older people have to carry reading glasses either around their necks or put away in a handbag. Now, thanks to some researchers from Utah in America, there may finally be a solution, because they have invented self-adjusting smart glasses.
The researchers studied the problem very carefully and realized they had to look at it in an original way. They took an entirely new approach to the whole idea of eyeglass lenses. Instead of using glass or plastic, they tried to copy the eye lens by using glycerin, which is a thick colourless liquid, inside two flexible rubber-like pieces. This was such a simple idea that you wonder why no one had tried it before.
The design of the lens is very clever. The system uses three little motors which move the right pieces in such a way that the shape of the liquid in the lens is carefully changed. This means that the distance between the lens and the eye also changes, just as it normally does in a healthy human eye. Being able to change the shape of the lens in this way makes it much more effective, and more comfortable than wearing glasses, which often don’t fit properly.
When a person looks at an object, a sensor instantly measures the distance from the eye and sends the information to the motors, which curve the lenses by just the right amount. The lenses can change focus from one object to another within 14 milliseconds, which is as long as it takes to blink. This makes it possible for the wearer to see everything, near and far, clearly. The design has not been completed yet, but a lot of important progress has been made, and the people involved are very excited by the way things are going.
The Tribune
1) These glasses are described as smart because
