Samsung just patented a contact lens with a built-in camera

Samsung smart contacts

South Korean Intellectual Property Office

Samsung filed a patent to develop smart contact lenses that will let you view augmented reality directly over your eyeball.

The patent, first spotted by SamMobile, was filed in 2014 through South Korea’s Intellectual Property Office. The patent notes that the smart contact lenses would allow users to view augmented reality in a ways that’s more natural than what smart glasses can provide.

The contact lenses would synch up to your smartphone wirelessly via a small antenna unit embedded in the lenses. Motion sensors embedded in the lenses would allow you to control what you see by moving your eye and blinking.

The contacts would also come with a small camera.

Samsung isn’t the only tech giant intrigued by smart contact lenses. Google was awarded a patent for solar-powered contact lenses that can collect biological data about the user, like measuring glucose levels in tears, and send that information wirelessly to a smartphone or computer.

To be clear, Samsung hasn’t been awarded the patent for its smart contact lenses. But it shows a general interest in hurdling over smart glasses in favor of advanced contact lenses.

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