Smart Contacts Powered by Tears

This piece, by Onno Berkan, was published on 02/11/25. The original text, by Pourshaban et al., was published by Small on 03/13/24.

In this University of Utah study, researchers developed an innovative power system for smart contact lenses that can generate electricity without requiring external power sources or accessories. IEEE has a great article on this. This new system combines two different methods of power generation: flexible silicon solar cells and a special harvester that uses your tears for energy.

Without getting into the physics, the smart contacts utilize external lighting (through flexible solar cells) as a primary source of power and the ions in tears (captured when you blink) as a secondary source.

Every time you blink, fresh tear fluid helps a chemical reaction that generates electricity occur, and the movement helps prevent buildup that could reduce power generation. This can power not just the lenses but a myriad of biosensors and drug-delivery mechanisms, making the system all the more promising.

The energy produced can successfully run several types of smart contact lens applications. The system can power devices for vision correction, including distance sensors and adjustable lenses, and support health monitoring functions like glucose sensors and drug delivery systems, which typically need between 0 and 34.4 microwatts of power. Among many AR applications, it can display heart rate, pace, and calorie burn during a workout.

One of this system's biggest advantages is eliminating the need for external power sources. Previous smart contact lens designs required either wired connections or wireless power transfer systems that needed to be worn near the face, making them impractical for everyday use.

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