Scientist Lee Seok Woo said a scene from a “Mission Unattainable” movie inspired his latest invention: batteries for smart contact lenses.
Within the fourth film of the series, an agent wears contact lenses able to facial recognition and eye tracking. Lee desired to make that lens a reality.
“I used to be considering, ‘How can I work on this field of smart contact lenses?'” the Nanyang Technological University’s School of Electrical and Electronical Engineering associate professor told CNBC’s “The Edge.”
Lee’s expertise in battery components served because the jumping off point for his foray into wearable technology. He realized smart contact lenses would wish secure and compact batteries, which can be crucial for advancing development of those devices.
Contact lenses themselves are extremely thin, at 0.5 mm, thus the dimensions and adaptability of those batteries are key to stopping user discomfort.
“The thickness of our battery is about 0.2 mm, which is about twice the thickness of a human hair,” Lee said.
An indication of how a wise contact lens would fit on a human eye model.
Lauren Choo | CNBC
Lee and his team invented a battery that will be powered using a biocompatible saline solution as a substitute for lithium-ion batteries, which contain flammable materials.
This recent battery will be charged using a traditional wire method, or a chemical method. The battery is coated with glucose and, when dipped into saline solution, the glucose will react with the sodium and chloride ions to charge it.Â
Scientists at Singapore’s NTU show how the battery on a wise contact lens will be charged using the traditional wire method.
Lauren Choo | CNBC
After eight hours of chemical charging, the battery can reach 80% of its full capability. Then, it could possibly be used for a few hours in the course of the day.
Nonetheless, there’s one other unusual technique to power the battery.Â
“Tear solution also accommodates glucose. Meaning, whilst you’re wearing the contact lens, your tears can even charge the battery,” Lee said.
“Should you cry more, you then can charge your battery more.”Â
A scientist showcase a wise contact lens fitted with a working prototype of a micro-battery.
Lauren Choo | CNBC
Currently, the capability and voltage of the battery remains to be very low. Using the 2 methods, the battery can only produce a voltage of roughly 0.3V – 0.6V. The usual voltage for one AA battery is 1.5V.Â
At this stage, that output is insufficient for powering data storage or web connection, however the team is working to develop the battery’s specifications.Â
A possible partner Lee has identified is in health care.
“We use glucose as a biofuel. There are lots of diabetic patients who check their glucose level each day,” Lee said.
“We studied how we are able to detect glucose level while the user is wearing the contact lens.”Â
Despite the potential prospects of such an innovation, Lee thinks that costs needs to be kept low, considering the capability of the batteries.
“Once it goes into very serious commercialization, the fee of the battery should only be a couple of dollars.”
