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Harvest Power From Tears And Blinking With Smart Contact Lens
This smart contact lens can harvest power from blinking. Developed by a team from the University of Utah, it can provide energy generation for smart contact lenses.
(Power pack's electrical status under natural eye blinking conditions)
Smart contact lenses have many potential uses, but all of the proposed projects require power:
when the eyelids are open, the solar cell generates electrical power, while the Mg–O2 harvester is in its off mode. When the eyelids are half-closed, since eyelids block half of the cells, the solar cell generates electricity at its half power. Finally, when the eyelids are completely closed the solar cell stops working, but the eye tear-activated Mg–O2 harvester generates electrical energy. Overall, unlike the wireless power transfer technique, which is the most common method to supply electricity to smart contact lenses, our power pack continuously generates electric power without the need for any external accessories.(Via Power Scavenging Microsystem for Smart Contact Lenses.)
In Fast Times at Fairmont High (2001), Vernor Vinge describes smart contact lenses:
Miri... leaned her head forward, and stuck a finger close to her right eye. "You already know about contacts, right? Wanna see one?" Her hand came away from her eye. A tiny disk sat on the tip of her middle finger. It was the size and shape of the contact lenses he had known. He hadn't expected more, but... he bent closed and looked. After a moment, he realized that it was not quite a clear lens. Speckles of colored brightness swirled and gathered in it. "I'm driving it at safety max, or you wouldn't see the lights." The tiny lens became hazy, then frosty white. "Uk. It powered down. But you get the idea.."
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