For years, smart glasses have promised to overlay digital information onto the real world. The challenge has never been imagination, it has been making the technology light, discreet and comfortable enough to wear all day, not just for short demonstrations or specialist use.
Park member FlexEnable is tackling this problem by starting somewhere most users never see: inside the lens itself.
The company develops ultra-thin, flexible films that are integrated directly into the lens allowing for lightweight, all-day wearable optics for AI and AR glasses as well as other forms of adaptive eyewear.
“We’ve always believed you have to start at the other end,” says Paul Cain, FlexEnable’s Chief Commercial Officer. “Instead of building bulky, feature-heavy headsets and trying to shrink them, you begin with something that looks and feels like ordinary eyewear, and then add functionality without upsetting comfort or aesthetics”.
The company’s platform technology replaces glass with plastic-based films around 100 microns thick. The result is lenses that are lightweight, shatterproof and can be curved. By applying a small electrical voltage, the films can dim, steer or focus light, turning static lenses into active optical components.
What makes this possible is how the electronics are made. FlexEnable uses organic, polymer-based semiconductors supplied as liquid solutions rather than solid silicon wafers. “We are the only company in the world that sells industrial-scale, commercialised semiconductors by the litre,” Cain says. “You coat them onto plastic films, dry them, and they form the electronic switches needed to control each pixel”. Because the process stays below 100°C, electronics can be built directly onto plastic.
One area where FlexEnable says it is unique is pixelated dimming. Instead of darkening an entire lens, the technology can selectively dim only specific areas, improving contrast for digital images outdoors without obscuring the real world. “That’s essential if glasses are going to be worn comfortably all day,” Cain says.
While FlexEnable licenses its technology for large-scale manufacturing, much of the development happens on site at the Park. The team designs, fabricates and tests working prototypes in a full fabrication facility, collaborating closely with leading AI and AR eyewear brands.
Here, ideas are taken beyond theory, into lenses which demonstrate how smart glasses could support real-world uses. From education and skills training to healthcare, accessibility and dementia support, helping people learn, work and navigate the world more easily, while still being comfortable enough to wear from morning to evening.