smart contact lenses They look like something out of science fiction. From spies to Batman himself, many characters have used them to to photograph what they see without the need for a camera. But they are not the only ones who can use them. In real life, extensive research is being carried out on this subject, so that in the future each of us can use them. However, in order to do this, you will have to solve some problems, such as developing safe battery for injection into the eye and ease of reloading. This is obviously difficult, but a group of scientists from Nanyang Technological UniversitySingapore seems to have found the key by developing a battery that full of tears.
This is of course very useful because is self sufficient while it is placed in the eye. After all, we cry all the time, not just when we cry.
So far, it has only been tested on an artificial eye and has given very good results. It remains to be seen whether they will persist in real eyes and whether they will be compatible with smart lenses. As such, they may soon become a reality, going far beyond simple (but complex) use as a camera.
What are smart contact lenses for?
It’s true that smart lenses like the ones shown in movies are being researched right now. just stop perpetuate what we see.
But they have many other uses as well. from cancer detection to tear glucose testing. It was the latter that inspired the development of ideal batteries that can be inserted into the eyes. They are small, safe and do not need electricity to charge.
Batteries charged with tears
Battery operation is based on a chemical reaction redox.
That is, there is a substance that loses electrons (is oxidized), and another that gains them (restores). Between one and the other there must be another substance that provides the flow of these electrons, since it is they that generate electricity.
In the case of tears, they naturally contain glucose. In fact, we have already seen that it is possible to create smart lenses that can measure it and extrapolate to blood levels. There are also ions, for example, sodium.
For this reason, these scientists decided to coat their smart contact lens battery with an enzyme called glucose oxidase. Enzymes are proteins that catalyze certain chemical reactions. That is, they speed up the reaction, facilitating its flow. Glucose oxidase, as the name suggests, is responsible for the oxidation of glucose. But, in turn, since we have seen that when one substance is oxidized, another is reduced, sodium ions are reduced. The battery also contains waterwhich facilitates the transport of these electrons.
Small but very efficient
This smart contact lens battery measures Thickness 0.5mmwhich is almost equivalent cornea our eyes. Despite this, it was not tested on real eyes, but in a simulation in which tears were achieved by pouring water on the device. Salt solution.
The results were very good. They are not comparable to the characteristics of conventional lithium batteries. However, since it is safer and always has tears at its disposal, it can be very effective in the long run.
It didn’t even cross his mind. Bruce Wayne. The originality of these scientists knows no bounds.
Source: Hiper Textual
