XPANCEO Unveiled Three New Smart Contact Lens Prototypes at MWC 2025

Barcelona, Spain, March 3 — XPANCEO, a deep tech company developing the next generation of computing, unveiled three new smart contact lenses prototypes at MWC 2025, including a lens with a wireless powering companion, an IOP sensor, and biochemical sensors. Additionally, the company presented enhanced versions of its AR vision and data-reading prototypes.

The first prototype showcased by XPANCEO is the Smart Contact Lens with a Wireless Powering Companion. Featuring fully remote power transfer, it offers twice the range of the previous industry solutions. The lens remains flexible, lightweight, and, according to calculations, completely safe to wear, with radiation levels comparable to other common wearable devices such as headphones. The enhanced range allows the powering companion to be worn comfortably as a portable accessory, making it the world’s first smart contact lens designed for everyday use. With the extended range, the lens can be charged from a compact companion device, similar to a contact lens case, that can be carried in a purse or pocket.

The second prototype is the Biosensing Smart Contact Lens, designed to measure body parameters directly from tear fluid, eliminating the need for blood draws. The lens features an advanced biosensor that, with the aid of nanoparticles, enhances the signal of elements in the tear fluid. This technology enables high-sensitivity monitoring of key biomarkers such as glucose, various hormones such as cortisol, estradiol, estrone, progesterone, and testosterone, as well as vitamins B1, B2, B3, E, and D. Through this feature, XPANCEO enhances personal health management and enables the early-stage detection and prevention of illnesses, bolstering longevity.

The Smart Contact Lens with an IOP (Intraocular Pressure) Sensor—the most advanced non-invasive glaucoma management system—was showcased alongside a custom eye model that accurately replicates the human eye. Using an AI-powered smartphone app, MWC participants could obtain real-time readings by scanning a nearly invisible optical pattern on the lens. This dynamic pattern shifts in response to changes in intraocular pressure, providing instant, highly precise measurements, and aiding in early glaucoma detection. With nearly 50% of glaucoma cases going undiagnosed until significant vision loss occurs, continuous, non-invasive monitoring tools like this could support early detection and better disease management, reducing the risk of irreversible blindness.

Among its innovations, XPANCEO also showcased an improved Smart Contact Lens for AR Vision. Unlike previous models that relied on external images sources, the new one features an integrated microdisplay, which is capable of displaying images previously only possible through smart glasses or AR/VR headsets. Exhibition visitors could experience the technology firsthand through the lens without the need to wear it.

In addition, XPANCEO showcased the Smart Contact Lens for Data Reading, equipped with an integrated wireless data transmission antenna and mass-production-ready flexible electronics. This enables real-time data transfer from the contact lens to a companion device. The device serves not only as a charger but also as the main computational hub, allowing users to receive biometric information from embedded sensors directly on their smartphones. MWC visitors had the opportunity to interact with the lenses and test the technology, receiving real-time data directly from the smart contact lens to their phones.

XPANCEO was founded by Roman Axelrod, an experienced entrepreneur with three successful exits, and Dr. Valentyn S. Volkov, a scientist with an h-index of 43 and over 9000 citations in leading international publications. Additionally, 50 percent of the company's scientific team holds a PhD degree. XPANCEO has established collaborations with distinguished scientists from renowned universities across the globe, such as the Donostia International Physics Center (Spain), the University of Zaragoza (Spain), University of Oviedo (Spain), Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden), National University of Singapore (Singapore), University of Manchester (UK), and Aix-Marseille University (France).