SARATOGA, CA — Mojo Vision announced that it is building “the world’s first true smart contact lens,” called the Mojo Lens.
Mojo Lens is a contact lens with a built-in display that “gives people the useful and timely information they want without forcing them to look down at a screen or losing focus on the people and the world around them,” according to a press release from the company.
The company is currently demonstrating a working prototype of the device. Mojo said it is conducting feasibility clinical studies for R&D iteration purposes under an Institutional Review Board approval. The Mojo Lens is currently in the research and development phase and is not available for sale anywhere in the world.
Mojo Vision so far has raised over $100 million in investment from NEA, Shanda Group, Khosla Ventures, Advantech, Gradient Ventures, HP Tech Ventures, Motorola Solutions, LG Electronics, Liberty Global, Fusion Fund and others.
Mojo calls the eyes-up experience Invisible Computing. The Mojo Lens is designed to be useful in a variety of situations, from consumer to enterprise. Additionally, the company is planning an early application of the product designed to help people struggling with low vision through enhanced image overlays. This application of the Mojo Lens is designed to provide real-time contrast and lighting enhancements as well as zoom functionality. With its inconspicuous contact lens form factor, Mojo Lens is designed to serve as a low-vision aid that could remain discreet for the wearer and allow a hands-free experience, while delivering enhanced functional vision to assist in mobility, reading, and sighting, the company explained.
In businesses and organizations, the Mojo Lens is being designed to give workers or specialists access to real-time information, thus improving productivity, precision and compliance while eliminating the need to look down at a mobile device or through a headset.
The Mojo Lens incorporates technologies including “the smallest and densest dynamic display ever made, the world’s most power-efficient image sensor optimized for computer vision, a custom wireless radio, and motion sensors for eye-tracking and image stabilization,” according to the release.
The company added:
The Mojo Lens includes the Mojo Vision 14K PPI Display, announced in May 2019. The display delivers a world-record pixel pitch of over 14,000ppi and a pixel density of over 200Mppi², making it the smallest, densest display ever designed for dynamic — or moving — content.
“After extensive research, development, and testing, we are excited to reveal our product plans and begin sharing details about this transformative platform,” said Drew Perkins, CEO at Mojo Vision. “Mojo has a vision for Invisible Computing where you have the information you want when you want it and are not bombarded or distracted by data when you don’t. The technology should be helpful, and it should be available in the moment and fade away when you want to focus on the world around you.”
“The Mojo Lens is the first step in delivering Invisible Computing to the world. We look forward to sharing more information and demonstrating future prototypes as we get closer to bringing our product to market.”
Mojo also announced that it is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration through its Breakthrough Device Program, a voluntary program designed to provide safe and timely access to medical devices that can help treat irreversibly debilitating diseases or conditions. By receiving Breakthrough Device designation for the development of the Mojo Lens, Mojo will work directly with FDA experts to get feedback, prioritize reviews and develop a final product that meets or exceeds safety regulations and standards, according to the release.
Mojo Vision also announced a new partnership with Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired, a Palo Alto-based nonprofit which offers rehabilitation services to more than 3,000 children and adults with blindness or impaired vision each year. Through the partnership, Vista Center clients will play a direct role in defining Mojo’s innovative technology and providing input to the company’s team of scientists and engineers. In turn, Mojo “will be able to deliver better, more user-friendly devices to market, contribute to vision rehabilitation, and improve the quality of life for Vista Center clients and others with similar needs,” according to the release.