Smart contact lens startup Mojo Vision has signed strategic partnerships with leading sports and fitness brands. The company says it has identified an opportunity in the wearables market to deliver real-time performance data to athletes through its hands-free, eye-controlled user interface.
According to Mojo, the collaborations will aim to provide next-generation user experiences that combine augmented reality, wearable technology and personal performance data.
The companies will work together using Mojo’s smart contact lens technology, Mojo Lens, seeking ways to improve access to data and enhance athletes’ performance during sporting activities.
The initial partnerships include Adidas Running (running/training), Trailforks (cycling, hiking/outdoors), Wearable X (yoga), Slopes (snow sports) and 18Birdies (golf).
“Today’s wearable devices can be helpful to athletes, but they can also distract them from the focus of the activity; we think there’s a better way to deliver athletic performance data,” Mr David Hobbs, senior director of product management of Mojo Vision, said.
“Wearable innovation in existing form factors is starting to reach its limits. At Mojo, we’re interested in better understanding what’s still missing and how we can make that information accessible without disrupting someone’s focus and flow during training.”
Through its strategic partnerships, Mojo Vision wants to explore additional smart contact lens interfaces and experiences to understand and improve the delivery of data for athletes of varying skill levels and abilities.
The advent of ‘invisible computing’
According to the company, its Mojo Lens product is backed by years of scientific research and technology patents, overlays images, symbols and text on users’ natural field of vision without obstructing their view, restricting mobility or hindering social interactions. Mojo calls this ‘invisible computing’.
In addition to the sports and wearables market, the firm is planning an early application to help people struggling with vision impairment by using enhanced image overlays.
Mojo Vision is working with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through its Breakthrough Devices Program, a voluntary program designed to provide safe and timely access to medical devices that can help treat irreversibly debilitating diseases or conditions.
The company also recently announced an additional US$45 million (AU$62 m) in new investment funding, bringing its total funding to date to US$205 million (AU$286 m).
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