Paul Raven @ 11-03-2009
Have you heard about the one-eyed guy who’s been building a surveillance camera into his vacant eye-socket? No, it’s not a B-list first-wave cyberpunk story, it’s actually for real:
The eye will include a 1.5mm CMOS camera, an RF transmitter “smaller than the tip of a pencil eraser” and a lithium-polymer battery. Footage will probably be sent to recording equipment in a rucksack, which will presumably be worn by Spence.
His aim, aside from breaking technological boundaries, is to raise awareness of the issues surrounding surveillance in our society.
Appropriately enough, there’s a video, too:
Your thoughts, please – should we be hailing this guy as a visionary? [OK, OK, I'll get my coat.]
Tom James @ 04-03-2009
US company Second Sight have developed a bionic eye system that allows a man who has been blind for 30 years to see flashes of light:
He says he can now follow white lines on the road, and even sort socks, using the bionic eye, known as Argus II. It uses a camera and video processor mounted on sunglasses to send captured images wirelessly to a tiny receiver on the outside of the eye.
The Argus II is designed to help sufferers of retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye condition.
[article form the BBC][image from Mazintosh - Fotogranada on flickr]
Jeremy Eades @ 02-05-2008
Researchers have gone from a 4×4 grid (16 ‘pixels’) in 2004 up to a 60-electrode version that was implanted in two men recently. While not quite in Geordi Laforge territory, it’s a big step up from complete blindness. After enough practice, the earlier patients were able to distinguish between eating implements at a dinner table, so it’ll be interesting to see what these guys can do. The 3rd generation will be designed with about 600 electrodes, and they’re hoping that patients will be able to read.
A camera built into a pair of glasses connects to a processing pack that is carried or clipped onto the belt. This then beams the image into the retina, turning on electrodes and stimulating the eye. So far, this will only work for people who have lost vision, not for people who were born blind.
(via DailyTech)
