Abstract: An eyewear system including an eyewear frame and an application module. The eyewear frame including a docking station, and an electronic connector including a first set of preconfigured application connection points. The application module adapted to be mounted to the docking station, and including an electronic device configured to perform a function, and a second set of preconfigured application connection points corresponding to at least some of the first set of preconfigured application connection points. The second set of preconfigured application connection points including at least two different sub-function connections used to support the function of the electronic device.

Abstract: A beam steering device includes a substrate with a first refractive index that defines a cavity, an electroactive material in the cavity that has a variable refractive index, and two sets of opposing overlays. The overlays in one set of opposing overlays are parallel to each other, while the overlays in the other set are tilted with respect to each other. This allows one or more electric fields between the overlays to be used to align the electroactive material in two different directions to change its refractive index, allowing for a faster speed of beam steering through refraction than conventional approaches.

Abstract: Bright ambient light can wash out a virtual image in a conventional augmented reality device. Fortunately, this problem can be prevented with a variable electro-active beam splitter whose reflect/transmit ratio can be varied or switched on and off rapidly at a duty cycle based on the ambient level. As the ambient light gets brighter, the beam splitter's transmit/reflect ratio can be shifted so that the beam splitter reflects more light from the display and transmits less ambient light to the user's eye. The beam splitter can also be switched between a highly reflective state and a highly transmissive state at a duty cycle selected so that the eye spends more time integrating reflected display light than integrating transmitted ambient light. The splitting ratio and/or duty cycle can be adjusted as the ambient light level changes to provide the optimum experience for the user.

Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, via a device implanted in a mammal, sensing a ciliary muscle movement and/or force and/or converting the ciliary muscle movement and/or force to a signal and/or a predetermined form of power.

Abstract: Eyewear is provided including a frame, and a camera connected with the frame, in which the camera is configured to be controlled by a remote controller. The camera may be configured to capture video and/or a photo. The eyewear may include data storage, and the camera may be connected to the data storage. A wrist watch may be configured to act both as a time piece and a controller of the camera. The eyewear may also include a heads up display and/or a video file player. The eyewear may also include an electro-active lens.

Abstract: A see-through near eye display, which can be modulated in such a manner to synchronize with electronic enabled micro-lenses of a switchable micro-lens array, wherein when pixels of the near eye display are lit the micro-lenses of the micro-lens array are present; thus, a virtual image can be formed and seen by the eye of a user. When the see-through near eye display is not lit, the micro-lenses are not present, thus permitting a real image to be present.

Abstract: An electro-active lens is presented which utilizes a surface relief structures and an electro-active material, with a change in refractive index facilitating the change in optical properties. A molded structure and a liquid crystal are used to form a diffractive lens. In addition to the classical approach of utilizing diffractive optics and multiple Fresnel zones to form a lens, an additional structure is placed between Fresnel zones in order to improve the diffraction efficiency across the visible spectrum and reduce chromatic aberration.

Abstract: Eyewear is provided including a frame, and a camera connected with the frame, in which the camera is configured to be controlled by a remote controller. The camera may be configured to capture video and/or a photo. The eyewear may include data storage, and the camera may be connected to the data storage. A wrist watch may be configured to act both as a time piece and a controller of the camera. The eyewear may also include a heads up display and/or a video file player. The eyewear may also include an electro-active lens.

Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, via a device implanted in a mammal, sensing a ciliary muscle movement and/or force and/or converting the ciliary muscle movement and/or force to a signal and/or a predetermined form of power.

Abstract: A conventional head-mounted display (HMDs) can display a virtual image at a fixed focus (e.g., infinite focus). If the user looks at an object that appears closer than the virtual image, then accommodation by the user's eyes will cause the virtual image to appear blurry. The HMDs disclosed herein include a dynamic electro-active focusing element that changes the focus of the virtual image to account for accommodation by the user. This dynamic electro-active focusing element may include a curved layer of electro-active material, such as nematic or bi-stable (e.g., cholesteric) liquid crystal, disposed between a static concave mirror and a convex surface on a beam splitter or other optical element. Changing the refractive index of the electro-active material causes the focus of the dynamic electro-active focusing element, making it possible to shift the virtual image's focus in as the user's eyes change focus.

Abstract: Resistive bridges can connect many ring electrodes in an electro-active lens with a relatively small number of buss lines. These resistors are usually large to prevent excessive current consumption. Conventionally, they are disposed in the same plane as the ring electrodes, which means that the ring electrodes are spaced farther apart or made discontinuous to accommodate the resistors. But spacing the ring electrodes farther apart or making them discontinuous degrades the lens’s optical quality. Placing the ring electrodes and resistors on layers separated by an insulator makes it possible for the ring electrodes to be closer together and continuous with resistance high enough to limit current consumption. It also relaxes constraints on feature sizes and placement during the process used to make the lens. And because the resistors and electrodes are on different planes, they can be formed of materials with different resistivities.

Abstract: An electro-active lens with stacked, rotated cylindrical electro-active lens elements can provide cylinder power along more axes than there are cylindrical electro-active lens elements. For instance, six stacked cylindrical electro-active lens elements, each aligned with a different lens meridian, can produce cylinder power along fifteen unique meridians when actuated up to three at a time. If these fifteen meridians are spaced at 12° increments, then the lens stack can provide cylinder power that is aligned well to correct astigmatism along any axis. Each cylindrical electro-active lens element in the stack can include a liquid crystal layer that is actuated by linear electrodes that are parallel to each other and orthogonal to both the cylindrical electro-active lens element's cylinder axis and optical axis. The electro-active lens can also include a spherical lens element that provides spherical power in addition to any net spherical power produced by the stacked cylindrical electro-active lens elements.

Abstract: Bright ambient light can wash out a virtual image in a conventional augmented reality device. Fortunately, this problem can be prevented with a variable electro-active beam splitter whose reflect/transmit ratio can be varied or switched on and off rapidly at a duty cycle based on the ambient level. As the ambient light gets brighter, the beam splitter's transmit/reflect ratio can be shifted so that the beam splitter reflects more light from the display and transmits less ambient light to the user's eye. The beam splitter can also be switched between a highly reflective state and a highly transmissive state at a duty cycle selected so that the eye spends more time integrating reflected display light than integrating transmitted ambient light. The splitting ratio and/or duty cycle can be adjusted as the ambient light level changes to provide the optimum experience for the user.

Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, via light from a light source, rendering an image on a retina.

Abstract: A conventional head-mounted display (HMDs) can display a virtual image at a fixed focus (e.g., infinite focus). If the user looks at an object that appears closer than the virtual image, then accommodation by the user's eyes will cause the virtual image to appear blurry. The HMDs disclosed herein include a dynamic electro-active focusing element that changes the focus of the virtual image to account for accommodation by the user. This dynamic electro-active focusing element may include a curved layer of electro-active material, such as nematic or bi-stable (e.g., cholesteric) liquid crystal, disposed between a static concave mirror and a convex surface on a beam splitter or other optical element. Changing the refractive index of the electro-active material causes the focus of the dynamic electro-active focusing element, making it possible to shift the virtual image's focus in as the user's eyes change focus.

Abstract: Resistive bridges can connect many ring electrodes in an electro-active lens with a relatively small number of buss lines. These resistors are usually large to prevent excessive current consumption. Conventionally, they are disposed in the same plane as the ring electrodes, which means that the ring electrodes are spaced farther apart or made discontinuous to accommodate the resistors. But spacing the ring electrodes farther apart or making them discontinuous degrades the lens's optical quality. Placing the ring electrodes and resistors on layers separated by an insulator makes it possible for the ring electrodes to be closer together and continuous with resistance high enough to limit current consumption. It also relaxes constraints on feature sizes and placement during the process used to make the lens. And because the resistors and electrodes are on different planes, they can be formed of materials with different resistivities.

Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface comprising and/or related to a tunable electro-optic lens device comprising a first substrate comprising a first electrode layer that comprises a first plurality of ring electrodes that form a first resistive divider network, and a second substrate comprising a second electrode layer.

Abstract: A lens including a flexible refractive optic having a fixed refractive index, an electro-active element embedded within the flexible refractive optic, wherein the electro-active element has an alterable refractive index, and a controller electrically connected to the electro-active element wherein when power is applied thereto the refractive index of the electro-active element is altered.

Abstract: Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, apparatus, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a process, method, and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can comprise and/or relate to, generating a gradient in an index of refraction of a material.

Abstract: An electro-active lens provides simultaneous focusing at two different optical powers. It does this with a stack of electro-active lens elements aligned along the same optical axis that each focus light in different polarization states (e.g., horizontal and vertical polarization states). If a first and second electro-active lens elements have different optical powers, light in a first polarization state can be focused to one optical power and light in a second polarization state can be focused to a different optical power simultaneously. The electro-active lens can be switched between different single and multiple optical powers. People with presbyopia may use the electro-active lens mounted in eyewear in place of conventional bifocal glasses. The electro-active lens may also be used in a scope to improve target aiming.