Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Nagoya-based Menicon, Japan’s first and largest contact lens manufacturer, has joined forces with California-based technology firm Mojo Vision, to explore the possibility of producing Augmented Reality (AR) contact lens.
Mojo Vision has been developing smart contact lens, which it calls Mojo Lens, that it hopes will be able to overlay images, symbols, and text on users’ natural field of vision without obstructing their view, restricting mobility, or hindering social interactions.
The potential applications for Mojo Lens are still being explored, but ideas that have already been proposed include contact lens that might help the visually-impaired to function normally, built-in data displays such as weather forecasts or emergency information, or even a maps function that can point the wearer to their intended destination.
Through this newest agreement, Menicon and Mojo will conduct a series of feasibility studies that will apply Menicon’s decades of experience in rigid gas permeable lens to Mojo’s smart contact lens concepts. If the feasibility studies prove successful, Mojo and Menicon may consider a more extensive working relationship in the future.
“This agreement with Mojo is a key step forward in our expansion of Menicon’s technology initiatives,” commented Menicon President Hidenari Tanaka. “Menicon has been a pioneer in contact lenses for seventy years, and we constantly strive to improve the quality of life of contact lens wearers worldwide. Mojo is an innovative company with a technology platform and a vision for the future of contact lens wear that aligns with Menicon’s aspirations. We believe that both companies can bring together skill sets and technologies that will support the successful development of a truly breakthrough product.”