Essilor and CNRS Investigate Smart Lenses

Eleven-year-old partners Essilor and CNRS have signed a five-year agreement between Essilor and the Laas-CNRS Toulouse-based laboratory, called Opera. The companies' researchers and engineers will explore lenses with connected functions. Laas-CNRS’ area of expertise includes embedded electronics, photonics, and robotics. They also developed a high level technological platform dedicated to the design and construction of prototypes. Essilor will bring its expertise in optics and vision, optical materials technologies, and its knowledge of consumer needs in the field of ophthalmic products to this joint research venture. Read more.

TMS Improves Visual Abilities

"Using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), an international team led by researchers from the Centre de Recherche de l'Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière (CNRS / Inserm / UPMC) has succeeded in enhancing the visual abilities of a group of healthy subjects," notes Science Daily. "Following stimulation of an area of the brain's right hemisphere involved in perceptual awareness and in orienting spatial attention, the subjects appeared more likely to perceive a target appearing on a screen." Read more.