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Is Google planning an iris-scanning contact lens?

Plans held by the US Patent Office show that the California-based search engine company has successfully filed for iris-scanning smart lens technology

google smart contact lens

Google may be developing iris recognition for its smart contact lenses, if a recent patent is anything to go by.

According to papers held by the US Patents and Trademark Office, the California-based search engine giant successfully filed a 21-page patent for iris-scanning contact lenses which could be used to identify the wearer and used in conjunction with other devices, such as to unlock a smart phone.

Details are minimal, but the patent describes “systems and methods for facilitating iris-scanning contact lenses and/or biometric identification employing iris scanning contact lenses.”

It includes a number of diagrams and alludes to light sensors, which could potentially measure light filtered through the iris, linked to circuitry within or on the body of the lens. 

Google simply states: “In various implementations, the contact lens can be employed in systems and/or methods associated with authentication and identification.” 

The latest news follows plans for a smart contact lens for diabetes which could measure glucose levels in the tears of the wearer, which the US company has said it plans to work on with Novartis-owned contact lens company Alcon.

Image credit: Google