Smart Contact Lenses

Stumbled on this today and looks fairly awesome! Just shows how fast technology is constantly changing.  Personally I would be waiting some time to see the long term effects this will have on someones eye and body in general.  Will this be for the good or for the bad? It's hard telling since last i checked they still don't know what the radiation cell phone put off does to us.

--------------------------------

Imagine instant access to the latest market segment information at a meeting, or seeing the fourth quarter earnings for a company in (literally) the blink of an eye.
Although it might sound like something from a science fiction novel, scientists at the University of Washington are working on solar powered contact lenses with transparent LEDs embedded onto the lens. This technology could be applied in countless ways, from health monitoring to text translation right in front of the wearer's eyes.

In 2006, my team at SKD designed a very similar concept for our "Cautionary Visions" project. Analyzing current trends in technology and popular culture, from emerging demands for constant connection to the increasingly blurred boundaries between natural and artificial, my designers imagined the dark alleys down which these trends could take us.

One of the results was an "Assisted Living Contact Lens" that would project helpful information, such as the calorie count for a chocolate scone, or a GPS map overlay locating the nearest gyms.
Now it seems like our idea might become a reality. And the more I think about it, the more it seems like this concept could be the new Bluetooth headset. I still remember an article that ran in the Los Angeles Times: "Crazy? Or Cell Phone?" I used to ask myself the same question every time I saw a well-dressed man yelling and gesturing wildly to himself.

But I haven't asked that question in years. These days, the seeming psycho-social disconnect displayed by talking to oneself in public is rarely considered grounds for insanity. The small wireless headsets that were once novelties have now become the norm. This is the process that happens once a new technology proves its relevance in users' lives.

Bluetooth has been a massive benefit to the business world--the mobility allows constant communication with clients and its hands-free operation increases efficiency and allows for easier multi-tasking. And fortunately, most headsets have been implemented in ways that meet user needs for fit, comfort and functionality. Today, it's used ubiquitously by CEOs and soccer moms.

Relevance is the challenge that new technology developers face, and it’s an area where designers can add value. Relevance involves finding the right audience for a new product, then discovering the needs of this audience and building a product around the need. When developing Jabra's first line of Bluetooth headsets in 2000, my team at SKD looked at cultural factors and found that the increasingly blurred lines between work and personal life and the desire for constant connectivity made business professionals a great group of early adopters for Bluetooth Headsets. The capability of the technology solved an unmet need in their lives.Which takes me back to the Smart Lens. Since the Assisted Living Contact Lens was conceived, a slough of new Smart Phones have engendered a populace absorbed in palm-sized screens and created a widespread desire for on-demand information. In today's context, a Smart Lens sounds more convenient than creepy. Personally, I have a terrible memory for names. I might appreciate a contact lens that could provide labels over people's heads when I walked into a room.

So if you see me gazing off into a distant world of information that only I can see, you may have fun wondering, "Crazy? Or contact lens?"...until you get your own.