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Sony patents contact lens that records what you see

Sony has been awarded a patent for a smart contact lens that would be capable of recording video.

Michelle Starr Science editor
Michelle Starr is CNET's science editor, and she hopes to get you as enthralled with the wonders of the universe as she is. When she's not daydreaming about flying through space, she's daydreaming about bats.
Michelle Starr
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USPTO

Other smart contact lenses are focused on improving vision or providing an augmented reality HUD, but Sony wants to look outwards rather than in. A new patent, awarded to the company in April, describes a contact lens that can be controlled by the user's deliberate blinks, recording video on request.

Sensors embedded in the lens are able to detect the difference between voluntary and involuntary blinks. The image capture and storage technology would all be embedded in the lens around the iris, and piezoelectric sensors would convert the movements of the eye into energy to power the lens.

Of course, at this point, this technology isn't small enough to be comfortably embedded in a contact lens, so it's only theoretical. However, with Google seemingly pursuing a contact lens camera after Glass failed so spectacularly, it's not surprising that other tech giants are getting on board.

You can view the full patent on the USPTO website.