These glasses use lasers to help those with poor vision

VR Glasses
Credit: TechXplore

A new pair of glasses have been developed with a mini-laser in to help those with poor eyesight see better - but could also have benefits to the VR world as well.

They look like a normal pair of glasses, but inside a camera on the front captures data and sends it to a laser, which bypasses the poorer-functioning part of the eye and casts an image directly onto your retina, the cells which transport the light information and send it to your brain for decoding.

The glasses are just a prototype right now, developed by Japanese company QD Laser in collaboration with the University of Tokyo.

Helping out

The bonus is unlike Google Glass and other VR headsets, this prototype already looks like a pair of glasses (albeit chunky 3D glasses) and is sure to look even more natural as it develops.

The company has said it wants to slim down the headset as soon as possible meaning you may one day be able to wear it without anyone realising the technology that's running inside.

These glasses won't help the blind, but this product could eventually help those with weak eye-sight who have problems focusing on objects.

The clarity of the image cast onto your eye isn't certain yet and battery life may prove an issue for the headset, but it's an interesting development in wearable technology helping those who need it.

QD Laser would like to commercialize the concept by the end of next year as well, so if you have weak eyesight this may soon become a reality - although we're still waiting to hear more about how this could be an alternative to a dedicated VR headset, or if this will ever make it to commercialisation.

Via TechXplore
Image credit: TechXplore

James Peckham

James is Managing Editor for Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.