woman wants webcam fitted into prosthetic eye

[Amby 490]

Steve Austin, the "Six Million Dollar Man" of '70s TV fame, had a bionic eye. Now a San Francisco woman wants one too.Tanya Vlach, a self-described trans-disciplinary artist involved in the Bay Area theater and dance scenes, lost her left eye in a 2005 car crash.

She now wears a plastic prosthesis, but would rather have something more useful — a Webcam of the sort often seen atop computer monitors.

"There have been all sorts of cyborgs in science fiction for a long time, and I'm sort of a sci-fi geek," Vlach tells the New York Daily News in a story published Monday. "With the advancement of technology, I thought, 'Why not?'"

In a posting on her blog, "One-Eyed," entitled "CALL FOR ENGINEERS," Vlach says she's "interested in capitalizing on the current advancement of technology to enhance the abilities of my prosthesis for an augmented reality."

It's unlikely the camera could be hooked into her brain — the technology simply isn't that far along. But one expert tells the Daily News a regular spy cam could be fit into Vlach's current prosthetic eyeball, and then transmit wirelessly to a cell phone or TV monitor.

Vlach would be fine with that — she's thinking the camera would let her create the ultimate reality show, or at least be a handy way to record her life

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,453990,00.html

[IAMX 3,055]

She can make liek.. the next Cloverfield.

[Teacher Mark 53]

She is officially my new heroine!

[Niels Bohr 72]

Hmm....She probably wants to record all moments of her sex life.

[IAMX 3,055]

Hmm....She probably wants to record all moments of her sex life.

She better be very flexible if she wants to get the useful parts.

[Imua 0]

Steve Austin, the "Six Million Dollar Man" of '70s TV fame, had a bionic eye. Now a San Francisco woman wants one too.Tanya Vlach, a self-described trans-disciplinary artist involved in the Bay Area theater and dance scenes, lost her left eye in a 2005 car crash.

She now wears a plastic prosthesis, but would rather have something more useful — a Webcam of the sort often seen atop computer monitors.

"There have been all sorts of cyborgs in science fiction for a long time, and I'm sort of a sci-fi geek," Vlach tells the New York Daily News in a story published Monday. "With the advancement of technology, I thought, 'Why not?'"

In a posting on her blog, "One-Eyed," entitled "CALL FOR ENGINEERS," Vlach says she's "interested in capitalizing on the current advancement of technology to enhance the abilities of my prosthesis for an augmented reality."

It's unlikely the camera could be hooked into her brain — the technology simply isn't that far along. But one expert tells the Daily News a regular spy cam could be fit into Vlach's current prosthetic eyeball, and then transmit wirelessly to a cell phone or TV monitor.

Vlach would be fine with that — she's thinking the camera would let her create the ultimate reality show, or at least be a handy way to record her life

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,453990,00.html

Cool - why didn't I think of that????

[Imua 0]

She is officially my new heroine!

Mine too - cool to see someone who sees a prosthetic eye as something that makes her unique rather than something shameful.

Eta: Just went to her page - I know her ocularist - he made one of my first eyes. Awesome!!!

Edited November 19, 2008 by Pattu Rani

[Teacher Mark 53]

She is officially my new heroine!

Mine too - cool to see someone who sees a prosthetic eye as something that makes her unique rather than something shameful.

Eta: Just went to her page - I know her ocularist - he made one of my first eyes. Awesome!!!

You lost an eye?

[Imua 0]

She is officially my new heroine!

Mine too - cool to see someone who sees a prosthetic eye as something that makes her unique rather than something shameful.

Eta: Just went to her page - I know her ocularist - he made one of my first eyes. Awesome!!!

You lost an eye?

Yes, I had a disease when I was a baby(ROP) which made me lose my right eye - Stevie Wonder became completely blind because of it. My bad eye developed an infection when I was 8 so it was removed. I have the same kind of prosthesis as the woman in the story.

[Teacher Mark 53]

She is officially my new heroine!

Mine too - cool to see someone who sees a prosthetic eye as something that makes her unique rather than something shameful.

Eta: Just went to her page - I know her ocularist - he made one of my first eyes. Awesome!!!

You lost an eye?

Yes, I had a disease when I was a baby(ROP) which made me lose my right eye - Stevie Wonder became completely blind because of it. My bad eye developed an infection when I was 8 so it was removed. I have the same kind of prosthesis as the woman in the story.

Well if you're made of money you could get one of the eyecams! Just think, you could record rude employees and report them to their supervisors, with evidence in hand (or eye in this case)! This brings me to the legal implications. Some States require that you let someone know if they are being recorded.

[PlatyPius 5]

She is officially my new heroine!

Mine too - cool to see someone who sees a prosthetic eye as something that makes her unique rather than something shameful.

Eta: Just went to her page - I know her ocularist - he made one of my first eyes. Awesome!!!

You lost an eye?

Yes, I had a disease when I was a baby(ROP) which made me lose my right eye - Stevie Wonder became completely blind because of it. My bad eye developed an infection when I was 8 so it was removed. I have the same kind of prosthesis as the woman in the story.

Well if you're made of money you could get one of the eyecams! Just think, you could record rude employees and report them to their supervisors, with evidence in hand (or eye in this case)! This brings me to the legal implications. Some States require that you let someone know if they are being recorded.

Actually, you could do the webcam thing for next to nothing. The tiny wireless cameras are only $100 or so. Then you would just need a recording device to wear or carry in a purse, and all would be good. Or, I suppose you could use a very small computer (smart phone?) to broadcast it live on the internet. Then there would just be the "design" fees for integrating the cam into a fake eye. I really can't believe that it would cost all that much.

[Imua 0]

She gives all the specs she is looking for in her blog - very interesting responses. Dr. Danz(her ocularist - the doctor/artist who makes prosthetic eyes) is supportive of the project so i guess he thinks it is possible - she seems to be asking for a lot though - Bluetooth technology? A pupil which can respond to light like a natural one? That is something I have long wished for - in light color eyes(mine are light green) the prosthetic eye's pupil can be noticeably smaller or larger than the real eye's pupil depending on light conditions. At least I notice itif I look in a mirror - nobody has said anything to me.

Direct link to her blog:

http://tanyavlach.wordpress.com/2008/11/11...-for-engineers/

What she is looking for:

Specifications: (I just put this together from the research I’ve done about miniature video cameras.)

* DVR

* MPEG-4? Recording

* Built in SD mini Card Slot

* 4 GB SD mini Card

* Mini A/V out

* Firewire / USB drive

* Optical 3X

* Remote trigger

* Bluetooth wireless method

* Inductors: (Firewire/USB, power source)

External Mobile Application:

* Acts as remote

* Power source

* Feed

Other Advanced options:

* Wireless charger

* Sensors that respond to blinking enabling camera to take still photos, zoom, focus, and turn on and off.

* Dilating pupil with change of light.

* Infrared / Ultraviolet

Edited November 19, 2008 by Pattu Rani

[Teacher Mark 53]

She gives all the specs she is looking for in her blog - very interesting responses. Dr. Danz(her ocularist - the doctor/artist who makes prosthetic eyes) is supportive of the project so i guess he thinks it is possible - she seems to be asking for a lot though - Bluetooth technology? A pupil which can respond to light like a natural one? That is something I have long wished for - in light color eyes(mine are light green) the prosthetic eye's pupil can be noticeably smaller or larger than the real eye's pupil depending on light conditions. At least I notice itif I look in a mirror - nobody has said anything to me.

Direct link to her blog:

http://tanyavlach.wordpress.com/2008/11/11...-for-engineers/

What she is looking for:

Specifications: (I just put this together from the research I’ve done about miniature video cameras.)

* DVR

* MPEG-4? Recording

* Built in SD mini Card Slot

* 4 GB SD mini Card

* Mini A/V out

* Firewire / USB drive

* Optical 3X

* Remote trigger

* Bluetooth wireless method

* Inductors: (Firewire/USB, power source)

External Mobile Application:

* Acts as remote

* Power source

* Feed

Other Advanced options:

* Wireless charger

* Sensors that respond to blinking enabling camera to take still photos, zoom, focus, and turn on and off.

* Dilating pupil with change of light.

* Infrared / Ultraviolet

O.K., my jaw is on the floor now! If all of this was possible I could see C.I.A. Agents, or the like, having their eyes plucked out and these things installed.

[Niels Bohr 72]

The lens have to use a new technology called liquid lens (fluid lens). The lens is filled with water. At each radial end points, there's a cathode and anode. When a voltage (variable) is applied, it can cause the lens to zoom in and zoom out.

It will use CMOS sensors to capture the light. This is due to the size. However, CCD could be used since it provides higher light absorbtion versus CMOS. CCD is more expensive, and require new manufacturing process to scale it down. Best to use CMOS.

The wireless charger is something that is possible by using the resonance of an inductor. I wonder if I can do it.

I think it's a little bit hard to implement all those into one small sphere. I wonder if it's possible.

Edited November 20, 2008 by Niels Bohr