News - US military to enhance soldier vision with dual-focus contacts

[HEXUS]

New contact lens from iOptik enables always in-focus HUD.

Read more.

[aidanjt]

Why don't they just integrate the tech with combat glasses? Soldiers need eye protection from flying shrapnel anyway.

[miniyazz]

Why don't they just integrate the tech with combat glasses? Soldiers need eye protection from flying shrapnel anyway.

If they put it in contacts, they can all have eyes which look like the US flag

[w1ntergr33n]

These would make a nice alternative to those google glasses that were demo'd the other day...

[davesom555]

Make master chief style helmets with a built in sensors and hud. Only slightly more expensive than a normal kevlar helmet plus the glasses and contact-lens system! And are less likely to get lost than the soldiers contact lenses in the field! If one of these falls out during operations, you arent going to want to put a muddy piece of plastic in your eye.

[Hunt0r]

hmm i would quite like these HUD with text messages, emails, GPS oh what the future holds!

[aidanjt]

hmm i would quite like these HUD with text messages, emails, GPS oh what the future holds!

I can see it now, 'Sorry m'lud, I got distracted by penis enlargement spam'.

[chrestomanci]

Why don't they just integrate the tech with combat glasses? Soldiers need eye protection from flying shrapnel anyway.

I think the plan is the the contact lenses are used with HUD glasses. The problem with HUD glasses on their own is that the solider would need to focus on something 1cm from their eye which is hard, especially while also keeping a look out for enemies in the distance.

The contact lens solves that problem because it is a bifocal contact lens. The solder is able to focus on both the distance and the display on their HUD glasses at the same time. I don't think the contact lens contains any display tech of it's own, it is just there to make HUD glasses usable.

Make master chief style helmets with a built in sensors and hud. Only slightly more expensive than a normal kevlar helmet plus the glasses and contact-lens system! And are less likely to get lost than the soldiers contact lenses in the field! If one of these falls out during operations, you arent going to want to put a muddy piece of plastic in your eye.

The army already has a system like that called Bowman. Cost is about £70K per solider, and by most reports it does not work very well. Apparently the sqadies have invented the bacronym "Better of with map and Nokia."

[Iron Sights]

Dual focus contact lenses have been around for a while, with mixed reaction from what I have read and experienced.
Hmm well its not as impressive as i thought initially as it seems that this tech requires HUD glasses.
One problem I can see is if the user had moderate or high corneal astigmatism. Just my 2 pence

[aidanjt]

I think the plan is the the contact lenses are used with HUD glasses. The problem with HUD glasses on their own is that the solider would need to focus on something 1cm from their eye which is hard, especially while also keeping a look out for enemies in the distance.

The contact lens solves that problem because it is a bifocal contact lens. The solder is able to focus on both the distance and the display on their HUD glasses at the same time. I don't think the contact lens contains any display tech of it's own, it is just there to make HUD glasses usable.

The same effect could be had by drawing an appropriate out-of-focus image on the glasses. But I suppose this would have the advantage of following their eye movements.

[Jace007]

Maybe this will have the same effect as the 'happy pill' the petagon gave these poor guys a few yrs back, it sure had an intresting effect on them. Oh lets not forget the Biological protection injections used in the gulf war either. And just maybe a 3rd party might hack these and make them see the brutality of war.

[J3FFW1SH]

Make master chief style helmets with a built in sensors and hud. Only slightly more expensive than a normal kevlar helmet plus the glasses and contact-lens system! And are less likely to get lost than the soldiers contact lenses in the field! If one of these falls out during operations, you arent going to want to put a muddy piece of plastic in your eye.

I will add a +1 to that!

[davesom555]

Why don't they just integrate the tech with combat glasses? Soldiers need eye protection from flying shrapnel anyway.

I think the plan is the the contact lenses are used with HUD glasses. The problem with HUD glasses on their own is that the solider would need to focus on something 1cm from their eye which is hard, especially while also keeping a look out for enemies in the distance.

The contact lens solves that problem because it is a bifocal contact lens. The solder is able to focus on both the distance and the display on their HUD glasses at the same time. I don't think the contact lens contains any display tech of it's own, it is just there to make HUD glasses usable.

Make master chief style helmets with a built in sensors and hud. Only slightly more expensive than a normal kevlar helmet plus the glasses and contact-lens system! And are less likely to get lost than the soldiers contact lenses in the field! If one of these falls out during operations, you arent going to want to put a muddy piece of plastic in your eye.

The army already has a system like that called Bowman. Cost is about £70K per solider, and by most reports it does not work very well. Apparently the sqadies have invented the bacronym "Better of with map and Nokia."

You mean the Bowman radio system? They had an arm mounted map panel but it weighed a tonne so now they mount it in the back of vehicles!