It was anyone’s guess that why the modern science was unable to create multi-lens glasses that can rid us from the hassle of keeping a pair and switching the glasses between near and distant vision ones. Finally, Scientists from the University of Utah have come up with glasses that change their focus according to your view automatically without any external input.
The brilliant idea has been created by Prof. Carlos Mastrangelo and doctoral student Nazmul Hasan, and they claim that their glasses feature “liquid lenses” that change focus as well as shape to fit your requirements.
Each lens of the glasses is created from two clear rubber membranes, one in the front and one in the back. These two membranes have a clear layer of viscous glycerin floating between them, which is used to change the focal length of the lens. Three mechanical actuators are used to compress or release the glycerin for this purpose, as they push the rear membrane in and out changing the curvature of the lens.
Although comparable to the technology used in the Adlens adjustable-focus glasses, the Utah glasses are unique as they don’t require any human intervention for changing their focal lengths. The Utah glasses use an electronic distance meter embedded in the bridge, which sends out pulses of infrared light and determines how far the objects are from your eyes. As the distance changes, the actuators automatically go to work to reshape the lenses accordingly, all of which happens within 14 milliseconds.
A first time the user has to calibrate the glasses according to their optical prescription using Bluetooth through a smartphone app. After that, you only to recalibrate the glasses as your prescription changes. The glasses work on a rechargeable battery, that can go on for over 24 hours before needing a recharge.
The bad news is that the glasses are not available commercially for the time being, and the team at spinoff company Sharpeyes anticipates that they might be able to bring them out within three years.
The findings and results were recently published in the journal Optics Express.