Google patented contact lenses that can scan the fingerprints of your iris, but the search engine giant refused to divulge specific details about where exactly are they planning to use it.
In July 2014, Google along with global pharmaceutical leader Novartis announced that the two multinational corporations are teaming up to bring Smart Contact Lenses in the healthcare industry.
On the one hand, Google alleged that what they are aiming for is a significant improvement in each person's way of life through the Smart Contact Lenses. To accomplish this goal, Google co-founder Sergey Brin ascertained that the company would compress advanced technology and electronics into smaller scales that can fit your eyeball.
On the other hand, Novartis CEO Joe Jimenez said that the smart eyewear would help monitor known diseases through augmented reality lenses with mapping capability. Google also has been speaking with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about a smart lens that can estimate the glucose levels in person's tears.
Moreover, the pharmaceutical company aims to add an autofocus feature into the upcoming smart eyewear to assist farsighted people in seeing things clearer from a nearer angle.
The new patent outlines a contact lens collects reflected light off a person's iris. It can be therefore used for a wide array of purposes, like biometrics, smart contact lenses, and AR eyewear.
Google told Time that they buy patents to develop a myriad of cool ideas, but these projects don't always become products.
"We hold patents on a variety of ideas-some of those ideas later mature into real products or services, some don't. Prospective product announcements should not necessarily be inferred from our patents," Google asserted.
Accordingly, we are yet to find out whether this patent would bring a new identification biometrics technology or mature into AR contact lenses to assist the healthcare industry.
