2 Super Powers You Can Have Today

Super Sight Rob Spence, a filmmaker from Canada, had his eye wounded in a shooting accident as a child. Presumably furious at its weak character and lazy work ethic, Spence asked doctors to just completely remove it a few years ago, and now he’s getting it replaced with a small camera (of the type normally used for colonoscopies,) a battery, and a wireless transmitter – effectively turning him into a human documentarian capable of recording, broadcasting, and relaying literally everything he sees, as he sees it. Clearly this is an advantage over other, larger, more expensive filmmaking crews, as it not only gives Scott a completely secret way to record, but makes him basically the world’s smallest, cheapest studio. But god, consider what he’s sacrificed to get here! Not only has he been shot in the eye, but he’s demanded that said eye be removed, years later, and then replaced with something that normally goes up your butt. The man’s got a butt-eye for christ’s sake! Van Gogh may have cut off his ear, but until he replaces it with a dick, Rob Spence wins for craziest gesture in the name of art, hands down.

WikiLeaks              http://213.251.145.96/        http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18275- http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18275-flexible-solar-cell-implant-could-restore-vision.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news>flexible-solar-cell-implant-could-restore- http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18275-flexible-solar-cell-implant-could-restore-vision.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news>vision.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18275-flexible-solar-cell-implant-could-restore-vision.html?DCMP=OTC-rss&nsref=online-news> Flexible solar cell implant could restore vision * 12:31 14 December 2009 by Colin Barras /search?rbauthors=Colin+Barras> The first flexible retinal implant could restore some vision to people with certain forms of visual impairment. Conditions such as age-related macular degeneration occur when some of the photoreceptors in the eye stop functioning properly.But as other parts of the eye still work, it should be possible to restore vision using an implant that mimics the photoreceptor layer, says Rostam Dinyari at Stanford University in California.To achieve this, an implant needs to convert a light signal into an electrical pulse - in other words, perform like a solar cell. But most solar cells are rigid, which makes them far from ideal for use inside the eye. "If you have a lens, the focal plane is always curved and the best picture forms on a spherical surface," Dinyari says. This is why the retina is curved. Rigid implants Using rigid chips, a large number of small implants must be fitted in order to approximate the curve of the retina. A flexible implant would simplify matters. "You would need a lot of surgery to implant a large enough number [of rigid implants] to cover the retina," says Dinyari. A flexible implant "would use just one surgical procedure". While several companies are developing rigid implants http://www.article/mg16722460.500-a-chip-for-an-eye.html  , Dinyari and colleagues have designed a flexible silicon implant. They did so by carving deep grooves into the silicon between adjacent solar cell pixels that are each just 115 micrometres across. The implant would be inserted over the most damaged part of the retina. A glasses-mounted camera would capture video, convert it to near-infrared signals and project it directly onto the implant. Projecting images When hit by the light, the solar cells inject current patterns corresponding to the projected images into neural tissue, which ultimately arrive at the visual cortex via the optic nerve. Near-infrared signals are used as they do not interfere with the surrounding intact photoreceptor cells, which send signals to the brain as normal. Initial trials using retinas extracted from pigs showed that the implant could be inserted without damaging the fragile solar cell array.The team hope to implant the device into a live pig soon, before testing it in humans. Jason Dowling <http://www.ict.csiro.au/staff/jason.dowling/> at the Australian eHealth Research Centre in Herston, Queensland,thinks the approach is interesting. "To the best of my knowledge I think this is the first implant which is shaped to the curved surface and this [approach] makes a lot of sense," he says. Dinyari presented his work at the 2009 IEDM conference in Baltimore, Maryland, last week. update FYI 3. Eye telescope gets FDA approval http://www.gizmag.com/eye-telescope-gets-fda-approval/15681/ Tiny telescope implant combats blindness HEALTH AND WELLBEING <http://www.gizmag.com/health/> Eye telescope gets FDA approval http://www.gizmag.com/eye-telescope-gets-fda-approval/15681/ By Tannith Cattermole <http://www.gizmag.com/author/tannith%20-cattermole/> 09:08 July 12, 2010 1 Picture <http://www.gizmag.com/eye-telescope-gets-fda-approval/15681/picture/117591/> The FDA has finally approved a miniature eye telescope that will aid sufferers of end-stag... <http://www.gizmag.com/eye-telescope-gets-fda-approval/15681/picture/117591/> The FDA has finally approved a miniature eye telescope that will aid sufferers of end-stage macular degeneration (Photos: Colby et al, VisionCare) <http://www.google.com/url?ct=abg&q=https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/request.py%3Fcontact%3Dabg_afc%26url%3Dhttp://www.gizmag.com/eye-telescope-gets-fda-approval/15681/%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dca-pub-1607124478120364%26adU%3Dwww.DelloRussoLaserVision.com%26adT%3DDr.%2BDello%2BRusso,%2BNew%2BYork%26adU%3Dwww.JohnsHopkinsHealthAlerts.com%26adT%3DMacular%2BDegeneration%26adU%3Dwww.ThinkAboutYourEyes.com%26adT%3DEye%2BDiseases%26adU%3Dwww.VisionDirect.com%26adT%3DVision%2BDirect%25E2%2584%25A2%2B-%2BShop%2BNow%26gl%3DUS&usg=AFQjCNEX1a4J_-gTlMPK7GC0LagLb_1rwg> After five years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has finally given approval to an eye telescope that treats macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in the U.S. The Implantable Miniature Telescope (IMT) has been developed by VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies, Inc. as part of Centrasight, a new patient care system which treats end-stage age-related macular degeneration (AMD). More than 10 million people in the USA alone suffer from macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness in people over 55. Of those people, 1.7 million suffer from advanced AMD, for which there has been little or no medical answers up till now. AMD is a disorder of the central retina or macula, the part of the eye that enables the clearest and most distinct vision, fundamental to abilities such as recognizing faces. For many, central vision becomes blurred or completely dark, which impedes all daily activities. The visual impairment suffered in end-stage AMD, in which both eyes are in the advanced phase of the disorder, often leads to loss of independence and patient isolation. The telescopic implant is designed to improve visual acuity by reducing the impact of the blind spot. The IMT, a device smaller than a pea, is surgically implanted into one cornea and acts to expand an incoming image onto the peripheral parts of the retina that are undamaged. Central vision is improved in one eye, while the other continues to receive information on peripheral vision for mobility and orientation. The clinical trials were conducted at 28 leading ophthalmic centers and showed that patients achieved clinically meaningful gains in visual acuity and quality of life with the telescope implant. In fact, more than two-thirds of those treated reported notable improvement in vision. The commercial version of the IMT is called Centrasight <http://www.centrasight.com/> and is in development by VisionCare Opthalmic Technologies, Inc. <http://www.visioncareinc.net> It isn't a complete fix, however. The patient will need months of rehabilitation and occupational therapy to learn how to use the donut-shaped image the telescope provides. Some patients may not adapt well to the new vision, or might find rehabilitation too stressful. Additionally, some may suffer side-effects or damage to the cornea by the IMT. That said, the IMT is available in the USA now and can be implanted during a short thirty-five minute out-patient procedure through Centrasight. Patients should be greater than or equal to 75 years of age, with stable severe-to-profound vision impairment constituting statutory (legal) blindness. VisionCare will conduct a post-approval study to monitor patient outcomes under commercial conditions. A second smaller study will follow clinical trial patients for an additional two years. "This is truly a breakthrough technology for AMD patients as their treatment options have been limited until now," said Kathryn A. Colby, an ophthalmic surgeon at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston and Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. "The clinical results from the pivotal FDA trial have proven we can place this tiny telescope prosthesis inside the eye to help patients see better and, for some, even to levels at which they can recognize people and facial expressions that they could not before." Results from the two U.S. clinical trials have been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals including Ophthalmology <http://www.revophth.com/>, American Journal of Ophthalmology <http://www.ajo.com/>, and Archives of Ophthalmology <http://archopht.ama-assn.org/>. http://www.gizmag.com/go/2358/ http://www.gizmag.com/eye-telescope-gets-fda-approval/15681/ http://www.gizmag.com/australian-bionic-eye-prototype-blind-vision/14680/ http://www.gizmag.com/australian-bionic-eye-prototype-blind-vision/14680/picture/112937/ HEALTH AND WELLBEING <http://www.gizmag.com/health/> Tiny telescope implant combats blindness By Mike Hanlon <http://www.gizmag.com/author/mike-hanlon/> 1 Comment <http://www.gizmag.com/go/2358/#comments> 2 Pictures <http://www.gizmag.com/go/2358/picture/3409/> Tiny telescope implant combats blindness <http://www.gizmag.com/go/2358/picture/3409/> Tiny telescope implant combats blindness Image Gallery <http://www.gizmag.com/go/2358/picture/3409/> (2 images) http://www.google.com/url?ct=abg&q=https://www.google.com/adsense/support/bin/request.py%3Fcontact%3Dabg _afc%26url%3Dhttp://www.gizmag.com/go/2358/%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dca-pub-1607124478120364%26adU %3Dwww.JohnsHopkinsHealthAlerts.com%26adT%3DMacular%2BDegeneration%26adU%3Dwww.midatlanticreti na.com%26adT%3DMacular%2BDegeneration%2BDocs%26adU%3Dwww.iLASIK.com%26adT%3DThe%2BiLAS IK%2BProcedure%26adU%3Dsites.google.com/%26adT%3DNatural%2BSight%2BVitamins%26gl%3DUS&usg= AFQjCNG7S17xOdK--K4ywvq-aRqMgiw00A>  Wednesday December 3, 2003 A micro-sized telescopic eye implant is being developed to aid those affected by dysfunction of the macula - a specialized area of the retina that is responsible for the central part of our vision. IMT (Implantable Miniature Telescope) has a tiny wide-angle lens (about the size of a pea) that projects a magnified image onto the retina to reduce the blind spot caused by macular degeneration and improve the ability to see previously unrecognisable images. Invented by Dr. Isaac Lipshitz, the IMT which is currently undergoing clinical investigation in Europe, the U.S., and elsewhere, with approximately 300 people so far having been implanted with the device. The IMT is implanted behind the iris in one eye during a brief outpatient surgical procedure. The other eye is left without an implant so that peripheral vision is retained for safe mobility and navigation and patients are how to use the implant. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) - the retinal disorder which the device is designed to combat - effects central vision and other visual activities like reading, recognizing faces, and watching television. According to Visioncare IMT, AMD affects over 15 million Americans to some degree with varying degrees of central vision loss from mild to severe. In Australia, researchers at the University of Newcastle are also looking at ways that new technology can be applied to restore sight to the blind. This system uses a tiny electronic circuit to deliver controlled, electronic stimulation to the surviving nerve cells of the retina in patients suffering from degenerative blindness - a process which it is hoped will replace some of the physiological events that take place on a normal, healthy retina. ECOGIZMO http://www.gizmag.com/ecogizmo/ Aerofarms urban agriculture system - less space, less water and no pesticides By Sam Marginson http://www.gizmag.com/author/sam-marginson/> 00:05 June 11, 2010 11 Comments http://www.gizmag.com/aerofarms-urban-agriculture/15371/#comments> 4 Pictures http://www.gizmag.com/aerofarms-urban-agriculture/15371/picture/116011/> Aerofarms' aeroponic system http://www.gizmag.com/aerofarms-urban-agriculture/15371/picture/116011/>

Posted by rappin in Science and Technology 63 comments This is but a sample of some of the currently existing (or soon to be developed) devices that can lend the average man abilities previously relegated to world of comic books. Bullet Proff D3O (d-3-o) is an exciting new development in bulletproofing material and not, as it sounds, a generic brand version of a Star Wars robot. Or rather, it’s an impact proof material which, in conjunction with already existing bulletproof materials, could provide true invulnerability to most gunshot wounds. As it stands now, you can survive many gunshot wounds with traditional Kevlar, but are likely to feel pretty poor afterwords, as the distributed force causes fleshwounds, broken bones and large concentric bruises – like getting your ass beat by the atmosphere. Oftentimes the impact from surviving a gunshot will temporarily knock the victim unconscious as well, leaving them vulnerable with a guy that has already made his feelings clear through the administration of bullets. But D3O is set to stop that: It works kind of like cornstarch -iIt starts off as gel, but gets proportionally harder when more force is exerted on it (the dick joke here is just too easy, I have my standards.) When soft, the substance allows for greater flexure, but when rigid can reduce the strength of a bullet impact by more than half. And that’s what she said (I hate myself.) The UK Ministry of Defense has already commissioned body and head armor using the new substance, obviously seeing the potential for better protection… or just because it looks really, really fun to grab. We’re talking bubble-wrap levels of tactile stimulation here, people.

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