Contact lens features embedded lcd
1 min read
The Centre of Microsystems Technology (CMST), an imec associate laboratory based at Ghent University has developed a spherical curved lcd which can be embedded in contact lenses. The move, said to be the first step toward fully pixelated contact lens displays, is also thought to have widespread application in medical and cosmetic domains.
Unlike led based contact lens displays, which are limited to a few small pixels, imec says its approach permits the use of the entire display surface. By adapting the patterning process of the conductive layer, this technology enables applications with a range of pixel numbers and sizes – from a one pixel fully covered contact lens acting as adaptable sunglasses to a highly pixelated contact lens display.
While the first prototype can only display rudimentary patterns – in this case, a dollar symbol – the researchers believe the display can be embedded to create fully autonomous electronic contact lenses. "Normally, flexible displays using liquid crystal cells are not designed to be formed into a new shape, especially not a spherical one. Thus, the main challenge was to create a very thin, spherically curved substrate with active layers that could withstand the extreme molding processes," said Jelle De Smet, the project's main researcher.
"Moreover, since we had to use very thin polymer films, their influence on the smoothness of the display had to be studied in detail. By using new kinds of conductive polymers and integrating them into a smooth spherical cell, we were able to fabricate a new lcd based contact lens display."
