Smart glasses let you turn off the lights in the blink of an eye

Blink and the lights go out. A sensor on a pair of

glasses that can pick up the motion of your skin when you blink could be used to switch the lights on and off, or to help those with limited or no mobility write messages on a computer.

“The good thing about the technology is the high sensitivity, which may become particularly useful in places where the motion is very limited,” says Ambarish Ghosh at the Indian Institute of Science, who wasn’t involved in the research.

Blink to scroll

The sensor, called a triboelectric generator, is thin enough to fit on the arms of a pair of glasses. It is made from multiple polymer layers with a coating of metal that acts as an electrode. Each time someone blinks, the motion of skin to the side of the eye causes the polymer layers to touch and release, generating an electrical signal. One, two or three consecutive blinks can be used to scroll through the alphabet to spell out a message on a computer, for example.

This signal can be transmitted through a wire or wirelessly, leading to the potential hands-free operation of various appliances, including cellphones. It could also aid people who have limited or no mobility of limbs because of accidents or conditions such as Lou Gehrig’s disease

Source https://www.newscientist.com/article/2142213-smart-glasses-let-you-turn-off-the-lights-in-the-blink-of-an-eye/