Scientists create glasses powered by your blinks
A team from Qingdao University has built eye-tracking glasses that run on the simple act of blinking.
Lightweight and as comfy as regular specs or contacts, these can spot tiny eye movements with 99% accuracy—no batteries needed.
The research just dropped in Cell Reports Physical Science.
How does it actually work?
When you blink, the friction from your eyelids creates a static charge on a special layer worn on your eye, like a contact lens.
This charge gets picked up by sensors and turns into digital commands—so you can control things just by moving your eyes, even in complete darkness.
Plus, no more eye strain from harsh infrared lights.
Tested and surprisingly effective
The team tested their tech on rabbit eyes and found it worked even better than expected, holding its charge well despite biological challenges.
As lead researcher Yun-Ze Long put it, they were "particularly surprised" at how well the system performed on a rabbit's eye.
Why should you care?
This could be a game-changer for people with mobility issues—think hands-free control of wheelchairs or computers just by looking around.
There's also talk of using this tech for smart driving or even space missions down the line.