THE
Visionaries
EmPower Eyeglasses
EmPower eyeglasses
Background
As people age, long-sightedness starts to develop with the loss of elasticity of the lens in the eye. Bifocals are prescribed to help them carry on with their daily activities. Such glasses contain two lenses: the upper lens for seeing far and the lower for near. However, it has its own limitation. Though such lenses aid in magnifying fine print, it also blur objects that are an arm’s length away. This distortion of images causes discomfort to the wearer. PixelOptics created what they termed as smart eyeglasses. Its EmPower eyeglasses is designed to cater to people with presbyopia (long-sightedness), a condition that struck many in middle and old age as mentioned above.
EmPower glasses was unveiled in August 2011 and promises an end to the discomfort brought about by bifocals. This smart eyeglasses is set to be a revolutionary eyewear that brings comfort and convenience to its users.
How does it work?
EmPower eyeglasses have microprocessor and other electrical components embedded within it. This sophisticated eyewear comprised of a transparent layer of liquid crystals and an electrode array hidden underneath the surface of the lenses, from where they are controlled by the microchip, tiny rechargeable battery and very thin wires, all nicely concealed within the frame. These components can subtly manipulate the thickness of the lens. The wearer can adjust the power in accordance to his preference. If he wants to do some reading, he could turn on the reading power simply with a tap on the side of the frame. A current will be sent to change the molecules in the liquid crystals. Another light tap will automatically turn off the reading power and they can now see afar. Users can also set it to the automatic mode where power will be adjusted accordingly with the head movement.
Applications
Application to Daily Life
The distortion in vision is considerably dangerous for the elderly. When one is walking around or walking down the stairs, there is a possibility of them making a misjudgement due to a distortion in their vision and thereby taking a wrong step which could lead to serious injuries. While some may have already adapted to this distortion in their vision, there are many others who get very disoriented and their daily activities gets affected. EmPower clearly addresses the above limitations. Users are now less susceptible to experience dizziness and discomfort as the distortion of images is eliminated with the use of EmPower eyeglasses.