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The Debrief

Roman Axelrod: Inside the World’s First Smart Contact Lens

31 minutes | Thursday, 2 July 2026

The Debrief is joined by Roman Axelrod, founder of Dubai-based deep tech company XPANCEO, which is building what could be the world’s first fully integrated smart contact lens. Roman explains how the lens can merge augmented reality, health monitoring and biosensing into a single device that sits directly on your eye. The team digs into who this technology is actually for, from continuous glucose tracking for diabetics to hands-free data for surgeons and pilots, and how something so small manages to power itself. And with tech that literally touches the eye, the conversation turns to the big question hanging over it all: what does this mean for privacy, and are we ready for it?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Roman Axelrod: Inside the World’s First Smart Contact Lens
The Debrief

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