Professor Babak Parviz, from the University of Washington has made a new presentation at a NASA research center in Hampton USA. Back in 2008, his work was focused on creating virtual displays on contact lenses and it seems by using advancements in nanotechnology, they have now come up with a contact lenses that can display information to the user and continuously monitor the person's health through the biochemistry of the eye surface. The researchers are working on integrating small optical, electronic and biosensing devices into contact lenses.
Parviz' research at the University of Washington includes nanotechnology, bionanotechnolgy and microsystems. In 2008 his work was chosen by Time magazine as one of the top inventions of the year. The device doesn't seem to have a name yet that I can find, however it's referred to as the E-Lens on the London Museum of Science website, where his work is on display.
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Augmented reality is also known as AR. AR a live view of a physical real-world environment with an overlay of computer-generated imagery. It's main benefit is to allow people to find information without having to be in front of a computer using a search engine. By simply looking at the environment, certain information will appear depending on what it being looked at, and what the person has chosen to view. What is being looked at is determined by the GPS position and the direction is determined by a compass. Both of these are now available in most new smart phones.
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In July Cochlear announced its latest hearing implant system the Nucleus 5. It then recieved FDA approval in September to begin selling in the US. It consists of the next generation implant and next generation external processor. The Nucleus 5 is the worlds thinnest cochlear implant and is 40 per cent thinner and two-and-a-half times stronger than the previous device.
Named "The Wrap 920AV", the headgear from maker Vuzix represents the first of its kind that can function as either sunglasses or portable video eyewear. The unit will include virtual reality capabilities along with augmented reality features. Augmented reality has been possible for a while but latest pair of video glasses look almost like normal pair of sunglasses which is sure to attract more interest from the average person.
