Wearables

Dynamic Eye sunglasses use moving LCD spot to reduce glare

Dynamic Eye sunglasses use moving LCD spot to reduce glare
Chris Mullin's Dynamic Eye sunglasses
Chris Mullin's Dynamic Eye sunglasses
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View through the sunglasses with the Dynamic Eye Spot
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View through the sunglasses with the Dynamic Eye Spot
Normal view without the Dynamic Eye Spot
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Normal view without the Dynamic Eye Spot
Chris Mullin's Dynamic Eye sunglasses
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Chris Mullin's Dynamic Eye sunglasses
Prototype of Dynamic Eye night glasses
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Prototype of Dynamic Eye night glasses
View gallery - 4 images

Chris Mullin from Pittsburgh has designed a pair of smart electronic sunglasses that pinpoint and reduce glare using a moving liquid crystal display spot inside the lens. Dubbed "Dynamic Eye", the sunglasses dim direct sunlight or other hot spots without dimming everything else in view, so you no longer have to worry about driving home with the sun streaming directly into your line of vision.

Mullin came up with the electronic sunglasses after completing his PhD in physics from the University of California at Berkeley. The idea behind the design sprung from the general lack of functionality from most sunglasses, including polarized lenses, to cut out direct sunlight glare whilst keeping a clear picture of everything thing else.

Using the two polarizers in the liquid crystal display, the glasses are able to darken the area between your pupil and the glare source. Half the light passes through the first polarizer and the liquid crystal in the middle determines whether the light will be absorbed by, or pass through, the second polarizer. If the sun moves, then so does this crystal liquid spot and if there is no glare, there is no spot.

View through the sunglasses with the Dynamic Eye Spot
View through the sunglasses with the Dynamic Eye Spot

Normal view without the Dynamic Eye Spot
Normal view without the Dynamic Eye Spot

“The problem with the sun is that it’s ten thousand times brighter than everything else you’re looking at, and your eyes can’t handle the difference. You squint, pull down the shade, put your hand, or do anything to get rid of the sun,” explained Mullin on Kickstarter.com. “With our glasses, you can relax, because the sun is dimmed down to an acceptable level. You can still see it, as well as any silhouettes that come in front, and because the glare is blocked, you can see a lot more of what’s near the sun.”

Glare reducing night glasses which use a special transparent LCD developed by researchers at Kent State University is also in development.

Prototype of Dynamic Eye night glasses
Prototype of Dynamic Eye night glasses

Mullin is currently seeking financial pledges to get these sunglasses into production. You can offer a pledge at KickStarter.com

Dynamic Eye via Yanko Design.

View gallery - 4 images
5 comments
5 comments
Oliver McFishcloud
Just can\'t wait to see if they can implement this in a vehicle. Probably paired with eye tracking for more accurate spot placement.
Facebook User
If this works, charges from the sun, comes in a style I like and costs under 30GBP I will buy it.
GoodLife03
Congrats to the inventor - I had this idea about 6 years ago but I was too lazy or busy to do anything about it...
analogue girl
overkill, Baush and Lomb optical grade Rayban green designed for aviators is effective. CR39 is the material. A bit of micronised Zinc oxide should reflect the uv. Smear the lenses with sunscreen?
Dax Wagner
Has anything on Yanko Design's website ever come to market? Like.... ever??