Aye Aye to iEye?
Nick CarrawayHow intrusive will technology become before we stop accepting it into our personal space? At first, only a small percentage of Americans even had a television. Then we only had one in the living room. Now 99% of Americans have at least one tv and most households average over two sets. Cell phones have experienced the same mass proliferation but at an even more rapid pace than its technological predecessors. One has to wonder what new high tech gadget will be the next to explode into a fixture of every day life.
Will biotech implants be on your Christmas wishlist in only a few short years?
Some rights reserved by nikozzThe Daily Mail Online is reporting that scientists have developed a prototype of an info-vision device. It's basically a computerized contact lens that would connect wirelessly to other devices and display information on tiny LED lights inside the contact lens. This invention could make checking your texts and Facebook feed even more effortless than before. You could sneak a peak at the latest news headlines or sports scores and not have to feel anti-social to the people around you because odds are they would hardly notice your escape into your eye's private screen. Even future presidents wouldn't have to endure questions about their genuineness because teleprompters would become obsolete.
But do we really want all of these computer chips, radio waves, and electric signals circulating around our bodies? There's already studies which have suggested a link between cell phones and cancer. As for the experimental lens, scientists say that they've been able to activate an LED light on a prototype inserted into a rabbit's eye without any negative health impact. Right now, this early version of the super-lens only has one LED light but it is able to pick up power and information through a tiny wireless antenna around its circumference. Healthy lab bunny or not, it's hard to imagine that an electrical current nearly in direct contact with the human retinal nerve wouldn't have negative side effects. And just imagine the info-contact lenses while operating a vehicle debates that are sure to come.
Even assuming info-vision could be safe, do we really want that much contact (no pun intended) with the already torrential streams of digital media? At what point do the distractions of our virtual life begin to hurt our chances at successfully enjoying real life? Wireless devices for the ear have been around for years and yet most people balk at wearing a Bluetooth and still prefer using their cell phones manually. Maybe it is purely a fashion concern, but such implants may represent a deeper, more existential threat to our idea of what it means to be a natural human. Whether or not you embrace the merging of biology and technology, more devices like super-lenses are certainly on the horizon and we should prepare. Perhaps a little bit of the old-fashioned hairy eyeball is in order for any future digital intrusions into our personal space.
Reader Comments (2)
Good piece. It's easy to rail against technology for all its potential harms. I wonder though, as you ponder, if it is medically safe, what are the other unintended side effects?
I worry simply about people who watch too much tv, but I know there are people who are far more dependent on their technological toys than just the tube.
I see the kitsch quality of such goods as absolutely detrimental and the dependence on them as simply mob mentality. These are legitimate concerns but this is the reality that we have to accept.
In other words, when will these contact lenses be on sale and where can I buy a pair?
This is crazy. My wife always has hated when she is talking and I unintentionally go back to reading. I don't do it intentionally but man, she gets fired up. I can imagine students really enjoying this invention as they watch their favorite movie as they are berated for not paying attention. In fact, we may never be sure anyone is ever paying attention to us ever again.
We have talked about before how our brains are rewiring as we can consume countless information in digital form. But to have an implant so we do not have to carry around a television or communicator? I guess I know what I won't be getting for a present. I won't even buy contacts because I can stand the idea of touching my eye.
Really cool lunch, I think, at least for people who want to read the lunch break.