Self-adjustable glasses

01 September 2011

Self-adjustable glasses

Look what arrived for me while I was on vacation: the first (and at the moment only) self-adjustable glasses - Adspecs.  

Invented by Professor Josh Silver, Director of the Centre for Vision in the Developing World and Professor of Physics at Oxford University, these glasses provide a low-cost and accessible eyecare solution to third world nations by giving users the unique ability to 'tune' their own glasses.

Here's how they work: the frames are made of two flexible membranes into which a fluid (silicon oil) is released using two levers. As the fluid flows into each frame, their shape is altered and all that was once blurry becomes clear.

It's no surprise Professor Silver was nominated for a 2011 European Invention Award for these.

 

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