Engineers at the Universtiy of Washington have invented a contact lense with integrated circuits and lights.

One of the engineers was quoted as saying:

There are many possible uses for virtual displays. Drivers or pilots could see a vehicle’s speed projected onto the windshield. Video-game companies could use the contact lenses to completely immerse players in a virtual world without restricting their range of motion. And for communications, people on the go could surf the Internet on a midair virtual display screen that only they would be able to see.

As of this time, the lenses have only been tested on rabbits for up to twenty minutes. The tests show no ill effects, so researchers are going to lengthen the amount of time worn. They also plan to add wireless communication, solar cells, and the capability to use radio-captured electricity to the circuit . The prototype doesn’t light up, but a version with a basic display showing a few pixels could be operational soon.