The Next Human Evolution Starts At The Surface Of The Eye: A Conversation With XPANCEO's Founders On Human-Integrated Interfaces

XPANCEO founders on building the first interface designed for the body, not the screen — and why human–tech integration is the next leap forward.

When it comes to the future of interfaces, we're used to bold claims: AR glasses will replace phones. Brain-computer interfaces will merge us with machines. But beneath the noise, the real breakthroughs start in a lab, where biology meets engineering, and technology is made compact enough to work inside the human body itself. That's where XPANCEO is operating — developing something deceptively small: a smart contact lens.

We could just stop at the technical side of things — describing it as a compact, next-gen device with integrated microdisplays, biosensors, and wireless power delivery. But that wouldn't capture what makes it significant — because what XPANCEO is building is a new kind of interface, one designed not for screens, but for the human body itself. 

I spoke with founders Roman Axelrod and Dr. Valentyn Volkov to better understand the science, the challenges, and what it means to build an interface that's so intimate it's worn on the surface of the eye.

Why Downscaling Doesn't Work — And What Does

Rather than downsizing existing smartphone components, XPANCEO had to rethink materials entirely, focusing on implementing next-generation technologies specifically designed for ultra-small-scale applications. 

"The conventional approach — shrinking phone components into something eye-sized — doesn't work," Dr. Valentyn Volkov explained. "It's not just a size problem; it's about weight, power efficiency, and heat dissipation. So we had to rethink everything."

XPANCEO approached the contact lens from the ground up — not as a wearable gadget, but as a biologically integrated system. The team needed flexibility, conductivity, and high performance in an exceptionally small format. So they turned to novel ultra-thin 2D materials — just atoms thick  — small and light enough to fit into a contact lens, yet capable of maintaining high performance. 

That progress, however, relied not just on materials — but primarily on expertise. Co-founder Dr. Valentyn Volkov, with a background in nanophotonics, nano-optics, and applied research across leading international institutions, helped bring together materials science, AI, and next-gen optics to build systems that work reliably at a microscopic scale.

"His know-how was vital to helping us design and fine-tune systems that work reliably at such a small scale," Axelrod said, noting that this level of precision is absolutely essential to building technology for the surface of the eye.

A Smarter Way to Know When to See a Doctor

By detecting biomarkers like glucose and hormone levels in the user’s tear fluid, the contact lens can be used for non-stop, non-invasive health monitoring. Spotting problems early becomes a reality thanks to these biosensing capabilities, which also help create personalized prevention plans.

Naturally, I wanted to know how this stacks up against the gold standard — so I asked whether tear-based readings could ever rival the accuracy of blood diagnostics.

Dr. Volkov acknowledged this challenge but was careful to draw the line between potential and clinical equivalence:

"It's true — biomarker levels in tear fluid are way lower than in blood, sometimes by orders of magnitude. But we've developed highly sensitive detection systems that can pick up and amplify those weak signals — using advanced nanomaterials, smart signal processing, and built-in electronics right inside the contact lens."

"That said, we want to be clear about where things stand. We're already seeing good results detecting some clinically relevant biomarkers, but we're not quite at blood-test-level accuracy at the moment. So for now, we're not ready to say it's on par with gold-standard blood diagnostics just yet."

He added that the goal is not to displace diagnostics at all:

 "We're building a complementary layer — a longitudinal view that may one day signal when a deeper test is warranted." 

Unlike standard lab tests, which only capture isolated snapshots of a person's health, the contacts are designed to provide a real-time stream of physiological data. This ongoing perspective can help reveal early warning signs or subtle deviations in biomarker levels — the kind that might go unnoticed in traditional diagnostics — and prompt the user to consult a physician before symptoms even appear. 

The team is also exploring integration with drug delivery systems through the contact lens, which is especially relevant for chronic conditions like glaucoma or dry eye syndrome. According to Dr. Volkov, this could help improve medication adherence and fine-tuning of dosages by linking drug release to real-time biomarker levels.

"We're not trying to replace clinical diagnostics — we're creating a system that can detect when something's off," he explained. "Smart contact lenses might not be ready for clinical use just yet, but they're already shaping up to be a powerful preventive health companion."

No Screens, No Swipes — So How Do You Interact with It?

Interaction was never going to follow the smartphone model. You can't pinch or tap your cornea. Instead, XPANCEO is exploring several input methods — some familiar, others deeply biological.

You might not think about it often, but your tongue is one of the most electrically active and sensitive muscles in the body. It's packed with nerves, and every movement it makes generates tiny bioelectrical signals — a fact that forms the basis of what scientists call glossokinetic control. 

Recognizing this, Dr. Volkov and his team at XPANCEO are exploring how these signals can be used to interact with digital content:

"It's a discreet and precise method, well-suited to everyday use, without the need for touchscreens or gestures."

The eye-tracking system is equally hands-free, allowing users to select and navigate digital elements just by looking.

"The contact lens has a patent-pending eye-tracking system built in," he said. "It lets people interact with content just by shifting their gaze — it's fast, natural, and invisible to others."

Facial micro-expressions and voice input offer additional layers of control, making the system adaptable to different settings and needs. While voice isn't ideal in crowded or public environments, it can still serve as a reliable fallback — especially when paired with AI that can interpret user intent.

"We're working toward a multimodal interaction system that adapts to the user — not the other way around," Dr. Volkov added. "It's about making the tech adjust to your context, not forcing you to adapt to the tech."

The Smart Contact Lens Shift: Screens, Safety, and Social Norms

Smart contacts, if they scale, won't replace screens — they'll just rearrange them.

"Screens will still exist," Axelrod said. "But they'll become less central. Just like smartphones didn't eliminate PCs, smart contacts won't eliminate other interfaces — they'll just push them to evolve into forms that feel more natural."

What makes this shift so significant isn't just the technology itself — it's the intimacy of the interface. This isn't a wearable. It's something worn directly on the eye. It becomes, in a sense, part of the body. And that raises questions far beyond user experience — from surveillance and privacy to social norms and the psychological effects of persistent AR.

"People didn't reject the technology — they rejected how alien it made the wearer look," Axelrod said, referring to early reactions to headsets like Vision Pro. "That's not a problem for something as discreet as a contact lens."

But discreet doesn't mean invisible in terms of impact. As with any tech that disappears into the body, new boundaries will need to emerge — and the XPANCEO team is building with that in mind.

Because the contact lens is worn on the eye, XPANCEO is treating it not as a consumer gadget, but as a medical device. Roman Axelrod said the company is preparing for pre-clinical trials and expects full-lens trials to begin by the end of 2026:

"There's no shortcut around biocompatibility testing and clinical validation," he said. "These processes are detailed and time-consuming, yet absolutely essential."

The regulatory landscape for this kind of technology doesn't fully exist yet, which puts XPANCEO in the position of helping define what compliance looks like for ocular XR systems.

And safety isn't only about biology. With sensors potentially collecting biometric or environmental data, Axelrod noted that safeguards are being built directly into the system — including AI-powered restrictions that limit use in sensitive or high-risk environments.

"We've heard it all — from students dreaming of passing exams without studying to people picturing themselves watching YouTube while driving," he said. "As funny as it sounds, it's exactly why smart systems need smart limits."

"Of course, no technology can eliminate misuse entirely — people still use phones where they shouldn't," he added. "But we're building safeguards into the contact lens itself to encourage responsible use and ensure it complies with local laws and regulations."

Toward the Next Evolution of Human

To hear Axelrod describe it, XPANCEO's project isn't just about engineering a contact lens. It's about building a proof of concept for a broader shift — from external tools to internal augmentation.

"I believe we're heading toward a transhumanist future — not in a speculative sense, but in a technical one," he said. "The capabilities we'll need to survive in space, treat neurodegenerative diseases, or even expand our sensory range — those won't come from devices we hold. They'll come from ones we integrate."

That may sound like ideology. But when you're embedding systems directly onto the eye — and they work — it becomes harder to dismiss the possibility. 

And Axelrod doesn't see XPANCEO as the only player in this shift. As more companies blur the line between biology and technology, he sees a future where human potential itself begins to evolve:

"Over the next decade, I think we'll start to see what it really means when biology and tech become indistinguishable. This isn't just about convenience. It's about expanding what humans are capable of — to become more adaptive, more resilient, and even interplanetary."

Whether or not that future unfolds exactly as imagined, the trajectory feels unmistakable. The contact lens, in this sense, is a first step — a signal that the most powerful interfaces may not be the ones that dazzle, but the ones that disappear into the body, bringing us closer to a world where human limitations are no longer the end of the story.