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CNET’s Scott Stein holds a prototype Mojo Lens contact lens in front of his eye.
James Martin / CNET
A vision of science fiction takes shape. On Tuesday, startup Mojo Vision detailed its progress on a small AR display that could be integrated into contact lenses, providing a digital layer of information overlaid on what you see in the real world.
The Mojo lens combines a collection of computer techniques to project information onto a hexagonal screen less than half a millimeter wide with pixels about a quarter the width of a red blood cell. A “femtoprojector” – a small magnification system – optically magnifies the images so that they span a larger section of the retina.
The lenses, which are currently in prototype, are surrounded by electronics, including a camera that captures the outside world. A computer chip processes the images, controls the display, and communicates wirelessly with external devices such as a telephone. A motion tracker that compensates for the movement of your eye. The device is powered by a battery that charges wirelessly overnight, like a smartwatch.
Mojo’s plan is to skip the goofy hats, like Microsoft’s Hololens, which have started incorporating AR. If this is successful, Mojo Lens could help people with vision problems, for example by describing letters in text or making the edges of sidewalks more visible. The product could also help athletes see how far they have cycled or how fast their hearts are beating without checking other devices.
AR, short for augmented reality, is a powerful technology that injects computational intelligence into glasses, smartphones, and other devices. The technology adds a layer of information over real-world footage, for example, showing a backhoe operator where cables are buried. So far, however, AR has mostly been limited to entertainment such as showing a movie character on a real-world phone screen.
The Mojo Lens design for AR contact lenses includes an electronics ring that includes a small camera, screen, processor, eye tracker, wireless charger, and radio link to the outside world.
Vision Mojo
Mojo Vision detailed the prototype at the Hot Chips Processor Conference.
Mojo Vision still has a long way to go before its lenses hit the shelves. The device will have to overcome the regulators and overcome the social discomfort. An earlier attempt to include AR in search giant Google’s glasses, called Google Glass, failed as people worried about what was being saved and shared.
“Societal acceptance will be difficult to overcome just because it will be almost invisible to the person who doesn’t know it,†said Anshel Sag, analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.
Verily, a subsidiary of Google’s parent company, Alphabet, tried to make a contact lens capable of monitoring glucose levels, but ultimately abandoned the project.) Another competing effort is Innovega’s eMacula AR eyewear and contact lens technology.
Miniature electronics in your eye
A key part of the Mojo lens is its eye tracking technology to monitor your eye movement. People read line by line, moving their eyes as they do. But without eye tracking, Mojo Lens would display a static image fixed in the center of your vision.
Eye tracking is designed to compensate so you can look around to scan a line of text or see different stats on the Mojo display, the company said.
The screen of Mojo Vision’s AR contact lenses is less than half a millimeter wide, although the accompanying electronics increase the overall size of the component.
Vision Mojo
The Mojo lens relies on an external device, such as a smartphone, to control images and provide a user interface.
Why computerize contact lenses?
The startup chose contact lenses as their AR display technology because 150 million people around the world already wear them. They are lightweight and do not fog up. When it comes to AR, they will work even when your eyes are closed.
Mojo is developing its lenses with the Japanese contact lens manufacturer Menicon. He has so far raised $ 159 million from venture capital firms including New Enterprise Associates, Liberty Global Ventures and Khosla Ventures.
Mojo Vision has been demonstrating its contact lens technology since 2020. “It was like the smallest pair of smart glasses in the world,†said my colleague Scott Stein after holding it very close to his face.
The company did not say when it would ship a product, but said on Tuesday its technology was now “fully functional,” meaning the company has all the necessary ingredients.
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