Move aside, Google Glass -- smart contact lenses could the next big thing in wearable tech.
Swiss scientists at ETH Zurich, a university focused on technology and natural sciences, have developed an ultra-flexible and transparent electronic circuit that could be used in the production of smart contact lenses.
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To create the circuit, a substance called parylene is deposited onto vinyl polymer, which acts as a support system; then circuitry is printed onto the parylene. The entire chip is then submerged into water, which dissolves the polymer and leaves the circuit behind, according to Smithsonian magazine.
Right now, scientists are focused on the medical benefits that this kind of technology can offer, such as monitoring ocular health -- think of it as a Nike+ FuelBand for the eye.
"We foresee a potential application as smart contact lenses, covered with light, transparent and flexible devices, which could serve to monitor intraocular pressure for glaucoma disease," scientists wrote in the journal Nature Communications, which published the study.
This development is a positive step forward, according to John Rogers, flexible-electronics expert at the University of Illinois, who told Chemistry World that this research "suggests a bright future for such classes of electronic systems."
Scientists have tested the circuit on an artificial eye, but more research needs to be done before such a device could be sold commercially, according to a release. It will need other components, including long-lasting batteries and sensors, to function outside of the lab.
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