Sony has been awarded a patent for a smart contact lens that would be capable of recording video. The new patent, awarded to the company in April, describes a lens unit configured to be worn on an eyeball that can be controlled by the user's deliberate blinks, recording video on request.

Sensors embedded in the lens are able to detect the difference between voluntary and involuntary blinks. The image capture and storage technology would all be embedded in the lens around the iris, and piezoelectric sensors would convert the movements of the eye into energy to power the lens.

The patent also described a storage medium capable of controlling an image pickup unit provided in the contact lens.