Could they be the next “eye” phone? I spoke with the founders of Xpanceo to find out.
It’s estimated that over 140 million people worldwide wear contact lenses. As a contact lens wearer myself, I was eager to know more when I learned about Xpanceo, a Dubai-based, deep-tech company that has spent the last five years developing AI-powered smart contact lenses. I sat down for a video chat with founder and managing partner Roman Axelrod and founder and CTO Valentyn Volkov.
The smart contact lens is like an AI helper, but directly on your cornea. There are many use cases the company is exploring, from accessing your apps and data, just as you would on your smartphone, to instant identity verification, augmented reality and, with a companion helmet, space missions, aviation and racing. The lens itself can even monitor certain aspects of your health like a wearable, as tear fluid provides biological information.
The lens contains a screen, biosensors, a microbattery, an antenna and other service components, but it’s part of a wireless ecosystem. It works with an external companion device that sits on the side of your head and contains a camera, earphone and microphone. The device handles energy storage and computing and can wirelessly charge the lenses. The companion device can maintain a continuous connection with the lens using custom antenna technology.
“We have built it. It works,” said Axelrod, referring to the team’s 28 working prototypes made with over 50 patents. ” Also known as Mobile World Congress, the telecommunications trade show will run from March 1 to 4 in 2027.
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