Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Artificial Eye


Tanya Vlach lost her eye three years ago, but with the idea of every increasing technology, she wants to someday turn her fake eye into a “bionic eye.” To do this, she would need to turn her eye into a video camera that then feeds into the brain. As of now, it’s not a definite possibility, but she thinks that with increased technology, and the fact that things are becoming smaller and smaller every day, it’s possible for her to one day have an artificial eye, that allows her to see. She even said maybe have the ability to take pictures, and videos.
"I am attempting to recreate my eye with the help of a miniature camera implant in my prosthetic /artificial eye," she writes. "While my prosthetic is an excellent aesthetic replacement, I am interested in capitalizing on the current advancement of technology to enhance the abilities of my prosthesis for an augmented reality."
Currently, she is working on a Science Fiction screen play, depicting this very possible future. Her play is the journey of her getting this eye and all of its powers. She gets several emails a day about the possibility of this, which gives her hope.
I personally think that she should go for it, not just for herself, but for all of mankind. If we had this kind of technology, it just proves that we are not going to let injuries, or other problems stop us. If we can create an artificial heart, why can’t we create an artificial eye that actually “sees?” I think this is a very possible scenario and I really hope she gets it done.
What does everyone else think? Is there a negative side to this that I’m not seeing? I look forward to hearing from all of you

3 comments:

AJ said...

Oh I think that this is a great idea. Like you said, if we can make an artificial heart for someone, we can make an artificial eye that actually sees. This would be really cool. I think even if they couldn't get it so the camera allows her to see what it is seeing, they should make it so she can record a video of what she sees. This would make one hell of a video camera. It would be great for all those scenes in movies from the actual persons perspective. And maybe she could have like a direct feed to the internet with what her "eye" is seeing. (Like a webcam but in her eye)! This would be really cool! I do think that she should go for it as well though. The technology is definitely there, we just have to use it to get her an eye that can actually see! I agree with you 110%!

mavsoccer08 said...

I cannot think of any bad sides to giving someone thier vision back. I think anything that has to send images or anything to the brain needs to be taken seriously and thought through with a lot of caution. The brain is a complex organ and i dont think we can anticipate how it will react to everything. but i say go for it. that is not a good enough reason to keep her from getting what she wants. I think technology will eventually find a way to create and artificial eye that can actually see!!

Durty_Burd said...

Does anyone else think of Mad-Eye Moody when they read this blog? This concept brings up some interesting ideas about the future of technology. This seems like it would be a beautiful idea on paper, but I agree with mavsoccer08 in that we do not exactly know what the possible consequences could be with this never before seen procedure. If it worked though, imagine the possibilities for the future of this kind of tech. We could play god and put enhanced organs into someone. Eyes like a hawk, ears like a bat, smell like a dog...the possibilities could be endless.