Electronic contact lenses give wearer a heads-up

Researchers at the University of Washington (Seattle) recently demonstrated the first electronic contact lens. Such lenses promise to overlay a heads-up display atop a user's visual field, letting the wearer see tactical information, such as an automobile speedometer reading.

Thus far, the team has completed only animal testing on unpowered lenses, but for the upcoming human trials they hope to power a virtual control panel that will make the display appear to float in midair. Future applications could deliver virtual heads-up displays to military users, "anywhere" action to gamers and Internet access sans monitor to any lens wearer.

"Looking through a completed lens, you would see what the display is generating superimposed on the world outside," said Babak Parviz, a professor of...