Adaptive Eye Glasses Might Yield Better Than 20/20 Vision for Wearer
Michael Hoffman - February 9, 2006 6:51 AM
PixelOptics is currently just one of several companies trying to develop "supervision" for everyone -- including the Department of Defense
PixelOptics just won a $3.5M USD grant from the Department of Defense for research to perfect "supervision" technology. The company claims that it can double the quality of a client's eyesight by using extremely sensitive lasers capable of detecting the slightest anomalies on the surface of the eye – then compensating for those defects using a powered optoelectronic lens. PixelOptics uses electronically controlled pixels that are embedded inside of traditional eyeglass lens to bend and manipulate light as it enters the lens.. After the software makes some adjustments, the pixel will then be programmed to fix any problems that a person may have.
Since PixelOptics hardware is dynamic, the company also envisions future systems to adapt to light levels and ambient conditions to further improve vision. Adaptive optics are hardly a new concept; researchers and the military have been using adaptive optics on telescopes and spy satellites to compensate for irregularities in the atmosphere. Using such small scale adaptive optics for human eyes, on the other hand, is certainly a new concept that we will see a lot more of in the future.
