Bionic contact lens 'to project emails before eyes'

[bngenoh]

Ahh, now you won't even be able to unplug, even in your own body:

A new generation of contact lenses that project images in front of the eyes is a step closer after successful animal trials, say scientists.

The technology could allow wearers to read floating texts and emails or augment their sight with computer-generated images, Terminator-syle.

[...]

They envisage hundreds more pixels could be embedded in the flexible lens to produce complex holographic images. For example, drivers could wear them to see journey directions or their vehicle's speed projected onto the windscreen.

Similarly, the lenses could take the virtual world of video gaming to a new level. They could also provide up-to-date medical information like blood sugar levels by linking to biosensors in the wearer's body.

Delicate materials

Lead researcher Professor Babak Parviz said: "Our next goal is to incorporate some predetermined text in the contact lens."

He said his team had already overcome a major hurdle to this, which is getting the human eye to focus on an image generated on its surface. Normally, we can only see objects clearly if they are held several centimetres away from the eye.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15817316

Clearly, the movement from reality to a virtual prison is being solidified. Reminds me of simulacra, and all the quotes about a scientific dictatorship. From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulacrum:

Simulacrum (plural: simulacra), from the Latin simulacrum which means "likeness, similarity",[1] was first recorded in the English language in the late 16th century, used to describe a representation, such as a statue or a painting, especially of a god. By the late 19th century, it had gathered a secondary association of inferiority: an image without the substance or qualities of the original.[2]

That which is like something, is not that thing. Reality and its representation are not the same thing. This just puts more emphasis on struggling to become objective and SEE for ourselves, what this whole show is about.

 

[Ðekel]

now try to imagine what awaits down the road for a civilization that accepts and uses this kind of technology, which is essentially 'Augmented Reality' tech.

it's actually really all in the name. those who don't accept and learn to see reality for what it is, try to 'Augment' it.
of course, if a theoretical civilization were to continue to augment their perceptions of reality for a very long 'time', they would, essentially lose their ability to See...

FWIW

 

[anart]

now try to imagine what awaits down the road for a civilization that accepts and uses this kind of technology, which is essentially 'Augmented Reality' tech.

it's actually really all in the name. those who don't accept and learn to see reality for what it is, try to 'Augment' it.
of course, if a theoretical civilization were to continue to augment their perceptions of reality for a very long 'time', they would, essentially lose their ability to See...

FWIW

Humanity has already lost it's ability to See. With enough work, it can be re-developed, but for the masses, it is non-existent at this point. It's been an internal 'reality augmentation' up to this point (for, oh, say 309,000 years).

 

[Ðekel]

yes Anart, i agree.

as unfortunate as it is, that's exactly the point !

it's amazing that these technologies are actually nowadays just simply called 'Augmented Reality', and some people just seem to love it.
there's no need to even call it anything else by now.
:/

 

[cubbex]

I don't know why this is made, like 2010 when everything was 3d. Do people try to escape this reality or what?

 

[bngenoh]

To finish of the Cyborgification (that is a word? right :D) of humans, we have this:

If the notion of next-generation electronic components made from actual human blood cells chills you, you may not want to read on. But if you are interested in how future artificial limbs or eyes may be wired up to patients, then this new research will intrigue you.

Memristors are a type of electronic device that you may haven't heard about, since they were conceived theoretically a long time ago. But they're only now becoming plausible in manufacturing--the trick is to modify an electrical current depending on a "signal" in a similar way to a transistor does, only in the case of a memristor the way they behave depends on how they were last activated. They thus have a degree of "memory" that means they behave a little more like your own brain cells do, and this has hardware folk all excited about their potential computing power. A team of scientists in Gujarat has now succeeded in making memristors out of modified human blood cells.

[...]

Ultimately, the fact that a biological system could be used to interact with a hard semiconductor system could revolutionize biomechanics. That's because wiring devices like cochlear implants, nerve-triggered artificial limbs and artificial eyeballs into the body at the moment involves a terribly difficult integration of metal wiring--with all the associated risk of infection and rejection. Plus it's really a very promising first step toward making a cyborg. Countdown to military interest in this tech in 5...4...3...

Source: http://www.fastcompany.com/1744446/electronics-made-from-human-blood-cells-fuel-nightmares-promise-cyborg-interfaces

Military probably already has cyborgs packed away somewhere. Robocop, here we come.

 

[bngenoh]

Man oh man, after reading this i just had to laugh first. You can basically feel the author drooling over the fact that come the end of this year, he won't have to face reality without his google "augmented" specs.

It’s about time: By the end of 2012, Google will launch a pair of Android-powered, augmented reality, head-up display (HUD) glasses.

More here: http://www.extremetech.com/computing/119375-android-powered-google-glasses-the-augmented-reality-hud-dream-is-coming

As if people need anymore help in further acquisition of the property of mechanicalness & automatism.