Are We Ready for Shopping Lists on Smart Contact Lenses?

Talk about an eye on the future: tech company Mojo Vision has developed the capability to add Alexa Shopping Lists to its smart contact lens. The integration of the digital shopping list with Mojo Lens’ unique eye-based interface is a peek at the future of personal, point-of-sale based shopping.

With support from Amazon, the recent test was the first major third-party consumer application on a smart contact lens, according to Mojo Vision. The application combines eyes-up technology and voice AI for an experience in which a shopper can access their shopping list at the store level and check things off in a hands-free, automatic way.

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How it works: A user can ask Alexa to add items to an Alexa Shopping List before or during a grocery trip. At the store, the shopper can access the list in their frame of vision while walking down the store aisle and check off items as they put things in their cart.  The system can update lists in real time if items are added by other people.

Years of research and technology patents led to the creation of Moto Vision’s prototype lens. The lens overlays images, symbols and text on users’ natural field of vision without obstructing their view or inhibiting social interaction.

“Alexa Shopping List is a powerful example of how Mojo Lens can be a platform for a range of useful eyes-up, hands-free consumer applications and experiences,” said Mike Wiemer, VP of engineering, CTO and co-founder of the Saratoga, Calif.-based Mojo Vision. “With Alexa, Amazon is fundamentally improving the way people interact with technology by using voice. Mojo Vision sees a similar opportunity, but with our eyes. Vision plays an integral role in how we perceive and interact with the world, and Mojo Lens will help people quickly access information in a way that doesn't distract from the world around them.”

Added Ramya Reguramalingam, general manager of Alexa Shopping List: “At Amazon, we believe experiences can be made better with technology that is always there when you need it, yet you never have to think about it. We’re excited that Mojo Vision’s Invisible Computing for Mojo Lens, paired with the demonstration of Alexa Shopping List as a use case, is showing the art of what’s possible for hands-free, discreet smart shopping experiences.”