AR glasses as the next “big thing” in technology? There are those who say that this is just a passing phase. Xpanceo shows that ultimately the electronics will disappear from the face, landing directly on the eye.
At MWC 2026, the Dubai-based company showed the world a set of technologies that will be used to create an intelligent contact lens. This package already includes elements of augmented reality, biosensors for tear analysis, eye pressure monitoring systems and several power supply variants. Xpanceo announces the first fully integrated prototype combining image display, health monitoring and wireless power already at the beginning of 2027. I remember the MWC trade fair from 10 years ago and honestly, there is incredible progress compared to what it was and what it is now.
Miniaturization without mercy
The AR layer is definitely the most “attractive” in terms of technology here. In 2025, Xpanceo already showed a lens with a built-in microdisplay, moving away from previous concepts based on an external image source. In materials from 2026, the company talks more broadly about the technological “modules” needed to build a full lens, focusing on optics, microelectronics, flexible circuits and communications. The company solves one problem at a time — and that seems like a sound strategy.
The wearables category, the cutting-edge ones, has so far been stuck mainly in glasses: with the market trenches set around bands, watches and headphones. The lens on the eye is a kind of “overkill” here: it has no frames and works closer to the line of sight. It sounds incredibly ambitious.
Biomarkers
Xpanceo is developing a lens that analyzes glucose in tears and a solution for monitoring eye pressure, which is extremely important, among others. in the prevention of glaucoma. In 2025, the company reported that the detection of glucose in tears already works and there is proof of it in the form of a concept, although calibration is still ongoing and readings for glaucoma are to be supported by an AI application trained on over 10,000. actual IOP measurements.
Where does this direction come from? Well, diabetes affects approximately 589 million adults in the world today. Non-invasive, continuous measurement without punctures and sensors stuck to the skin would be a huge breakthrough. Unfortunately… research published in… Nature Communications show that glucose in tears may indeed correlate with glycemia, but the topic has been controversial for years and requires precise consideration of delays and the method of tear collection. Here, the scientific community and the world of technology must reach a consensus: determine what works and what has real clinical value, because this will be the subject of a dispute.
Like Kiroshi from Cyberpunk. Not yet, but maybe soon?
Cramming electronics into the lens is one problem. Unfortunately, it still needs to be powered. Xpanceo previously showed a lens with wireless power from a compact companion device, a variant with its own microbattery, and solutions that improve the efficiency of the “transmitting” equipment’s antennas even several times compared to competing solutions.
The business context is also important: Xpanceo was founded in 2021 by Roman Axelrod and physicist Valentyn Wolkov and raised $250 million in July 2025. at a valuation of USD 1.35 billion, and according to its own announcements, it develops the technology in cooperation with a strong research base. The Nature Index shows that today Xpanceo ranks high among corporate research institutions in the UAE, with half of the research team having Ph.D.
Read also: These glasses will “guess” what your dog wants from you. Someone has gone completely crazy here
This is not a guarantee of success, but we are almost certainly not dealing with a shell. However, for now the lens is not ready to hit the market, although the team is constantly solving new problems. And in my eyes (hehe), this could be the next big thing. Not a watch, not AI headphones, not glasses, but a lens that will communicate with the phone. Like Kiroshi in Cyberpunk. Believe me, given all this progress, I sometimes wish I were a decade younger and had more chances to try out the wonderful new inventions that lie ahead. Oh, I was daydreaming…
