Merging biology with electronics isn’t a question of if, but when. Some enterprising biohackers have even decided that the time is now. Google-parent Alphabet appears to be preparing for our cybernetic future with a new patent for electronics that can be injected onto your eye.
The company has been interested in eyeball tech for awhile, most notably with its longtime development of smart contact lenses for monitoring diabetes. However, this cringe-inducing tech (I do apologize for that GIF above) would actually work to help focus light onto the retina.
The patent specifically covers a method for “injecting a fluid into a lens capsule of an eye, wherein a natural lens of the eye has been removed from the lens capsule.” (EW!) An “intra-ocular” floats in the fluid and conforms to the surface of the eye. (GROSS!) It’s powered by “radio frequency energy” received by a small antenna inside. This teeny eyeball gadget even has its own data storage.
Injected on your eyeball? Yeesh.
And of course, patents are patents, and we’ve seen some strange ones that have never come to life beyond crappy black-and-white sketches. Still, it’s notable that injection-based electronics are clearly a future massive companies are beginning to dream up—and patent.