If there any one segment of the wearable tech community that is growing in leaps and bounds, it’d be eyewear. From Google to, um, Google the specter of forthcoming ocular goodies looms large on every tech site from here to Engadget. In short, it won’t be too many years down the road until we are all wearing cyborg-like glasses that do all manner of awesome thing. What’s next on the tech-heavy agenda? Turning the pages of digital books without moving a finger(but instead by batting an eyelash.)
A group of researchers have developed an innovative pair of specs that allows you to turn digital pages with your eyes. You read that right. Developed by Germany’s Fraunhofer Research Institution for Organics, Materials and Electronic Devices, the glasses allow for hands-free turning of digital ebooks by simply looking at arrows pointing in the direction the user wishes to page toward. It works by using a combination of photodiodes and an OLED display. One of the creators notes that even Google Glass doesn’t allow for this kind of hands-free menu navigation. Hey, the glasses even work on Linux.
Of course, something this tech-heavy isn’t going to be relegated to just turning pages while re-reading Harry Potter books. The creators envision the glasses eventually being used during delicate surgeries and other high-risk tasks where one simply cannot spare another hand. It’s only a working prototype for now and, as such, no pricing or release date has been announced. We’ll keep you updated.
