Eye-socket camera films from inside the head

There's a blurred line between challenge and opportunity.

Having lost his eye in a childhood accident and suffered a lot of pain, Rob Spense, a 36-year-old filmmaker, has decided to do something that'll put filming and seeing into just one eye, quite literally.

His work is called the Eyeborg project, and involves his friend Kosta Grammatis, a photographer/engineer, and a team of ocularists, inventors, and engineering specialists. The team is building a prosthetic eye that can capture and transmit video.

While the idea is simple, it's a great engineering challenge. For the project to be successful, the smallest, lightest, most power-efficient technologies have to be found and implemented.

The team is using the world's smallest CMOS camera for the project. This device is about 1.5 millimeters squared. It's so small that if you sneeze while it's resting on your open palm, you may never find it again.
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Man blind for 30 years gains vision from bionic eye

A man who has been blind for 30 years has taken part in an experimental procedure at a London hospital to artificially restore his vision--with a bionic eye. Ron, who has not revealed his surname, says he is now able to see the difference between white, grey and black socks, and follow white road markings.

The bionic eye, known as Argus II according to the BBC, uses a series of electrodes attached to the 73-year-old's retina, wired to a small sensor on the exterior of the eye.

A pair of sunglasses use a tiny camera and image processor to capture light, which is then sent via the sensor on the eye to the electrodes on the retina. These electrodes send electrical signals via the optic nerve to the brain, which interprets them as an image.

The surgery was performed seven months ago at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, using the bionic-eye technology developed by US company Second Sight. It targets patients who have suffered retinal degeneration from a condition called retinitis pigmentosa, a type of hereditary retinal dystrophy, for which there is no medical treatment.
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Fill 'er up, with air

Among the plethora of alternative fuels being put forth to replace oil, the most odd might seem simple: Air. But MDI International, based in Luxembourg, showed off a car at the 2009 Geneva auto show that runs on just that. What motivates the little AirPod concept is the energy from compressed air stored in a tank at 5,000 pounds per square inch (PSI).
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Qualcomm shows off emerging display technology

PALM DESERT, Calif.--Qualcomm's MEMS Technologies group at Demo 09 is showing off its evolving Mirasol display technology, which is based on micro-mechanical control of a reflective material (for a real explanation, see the Mirasol site).

The pitch is that Mirasol displays take much less power than standard backlit LCDs, and are also readable in daylight. At the moment, screens on the s Mirasol-based devices look like black-and-white watch LCDs. Yes, they're visible in sunlight, but they're not very interesting. Qualcomm says faster refresh is coming, allowing video, as well as color displays.

Mirasol displays are "bi-stable," which means they retain their image with the power off. Readers may thus be forgiven for thinking Mirasol displays are a form of electronic ink, of the type found in e-book readers like the Kindle. But Qualcomm takes pains to say that the color and refresh capabilities of the technology have yet to be fully revealed, and will blow past e-ink in those areas.

Via CNET Crave

Control your car with your iPhone

The next time Bond, James Bond, whips out his remote-controlled, souped-up cruiser, take a careful look at the remote. It might well be an iPhone. Thanks to Rinspeed's iChange accessory, your iPhone could one day replace your car keys. All that's needed is to clip your Apple mobile into a special holder next to the steering wheel, hit the green Start button on the display, and voila.

iChange will not only start up the car's engine, it can do a multitude of things, from turning on the headlights to mapping GPS routes, to surfing the Web, even shape-shifting the car, and, of course, making calls, duh. But like Bond's fictitious high-tech gadgets, this one remains firmly in the lab as designer Frank Rinderknecht, the man behind the sQuba submersible sports car, isn't known for going to market with his concepts. Bummer.

Via Gaj-it

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