High-tech autofocals to follow the wearer eyes

A pair of high-tech spectacles known as ‘autofocals’ developed with fluid-filled lenses, sensing cameras and eye-tracking technology to ensure that the object the wearer is seeing remains sharp and in focus.

High-tech autofocals to follow the wearer eyes

A team from Stanford University has developed the glasses that are essentially made for people suffering from presbyopia – common form of age-induced farsightedness, where lenses in the eyes start to become stiff, hence causing trouble to focus on close-up objects.

The fluid filled in the lenses of these new prototype specs reacts to an electric current and becomes thicker and thinner to change the depth of the focus as required.

Along with those lenses, there is also an eye-tracking system that looks where the wearer is looking. Then, the depth-sensing camera measure how far away the object is and automatically adjusts the focus accordingly.

The specs were tested on 56 people suffering from presbyopia. The volunteers concluded that the new smart glasses made it easier and quicker to read and perform other tasks as compared to the traditional lenses.

The autofocals are currently very bulky, thus the team now intends to make the technology lighter, more stylish, and more energy efficient in order to become more like an everyday item.