Virtual reality contact lenses that beam images directly into your eyes could be on sale in 2014
- Equivalent to a 240-inch 3D television from 10 feet
- Can layer ‘augmented reality’ information over world
- Company also working with U.S. army
By Rob Waugh
Last updated at 4:02 PM on 3rd February 2012
Contact lenses which focus 3D screens directly into people’s eyeballs could be on sale as early as 2014, says U.S. company Innovega.
The tiny ‘screens’ sit directly on users’ eyeballs and work with a pair of lightweight glasses with a built-in translucent screen.
The experience is equivalent to a 240-inch television viewed at a distance of 10 feet, says Innovega’s CEO Steve Willey.
The lenses sit directly on the eyeball, and have been engineered using nanoscale techniques to work as a focusing device that pairs with a pair of hi-tech glasses
Tom Cruise in Minority Report: Characters in the sci fi film wear lenses which deliver information – and advertising – directly into their eyes
The devices can ‘pair’ with smartphones and portable game devices to deliver up-close video – or switch to a translucent ‘augmented reality’ view, where computer information is layered over the world we know.
Crucially, the devices can be worn while moving about – previous bulky ‘VR headsets’ have blindfolded their users and can only be used sitting down.
The effect could be similar to the lenses worn by Tom Cruise in Minority Report.
The company is also developing hi-tech lenses for use by American soldiers, feeding battlefield information directly into their eyes.
DARPA – the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, thought of as the American military’s ‘mad scientist’ wing – has been funding research on ‘soldier mounted displays’ for some time.
It’s now working on ‘iOptik’ lenses with Innovega.
University of York’s ‘Virtual Cocoon’: Like many head-mounted displays, it’s bulky and not transparent – ie wearers cannot safely use it while moving about
The lenses, made with nano-scale engineering processes,work as a hi-tech focusing device, which allows Innovega’s glasses to be considerably less bulky than previous devices.
The lenses themselves require no power, and thus can sit safely on the eyeball.
Innovega claims that the lenses could become successful quite rapidly because of the huge number of people who already wear contact lenses worldwide
DARPA projects are often oddball technology, but it also has a history of far-sighted technological leaps.
DARPA invented the first virtual reality devices, and one of the precursors of the modern internet.
DARPA Says, ‘Innovega’s iOptiks are contact lenses that enhance normal vision by allowing a wearer to view virtual and augmented reality images without the need for bulky apparatus. ‘
‘Instead of oversized virtual reality helmets, digital images are projected onto tiny full-color displays that are very near the eye.’
These novel contact lenses allow users to focus simultaneously on objects that are close up and far away.’
Innovega claims that the devices could become popular rapidly due to the number of contact lens wearers worldwide.
The program seeks to develop novel computational imaging capabilities and explore joint design of hardware and software that give warfighters access to systems that greatly enhance their awareness, security and survivability.
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Categories: Science&Tech Tags: 2014, Beam, Contact, Could, Directly, Eyes, Images, Into, Lenses, Reality, Sale, Virtual
Lake Vostok: Russian scientists drilling into ‘alien’ Antarctic lake buried for 20m years
- Antarctic summer will come to an end within days – team’s last chance to leave the station
- Conditions in lake similar to lakes on moons of Saturn and Jupiter
- Remote station recorded coldest-ever temperature on earth: -89C
By Rob Cooper and Thomas Durante
Last updated at 1:22 PM on 4th February 2012
A team of Russian scientists has mysteriously lost contact with colleagues in the U.S. as they drill into a lake buried beneath the Antarctic ice for 20 million years.
The scientists had been battling conditions of minus 66C at Lake Vostok, as they raced to drill into a lake buried two miles beneath the ice before the weather closed in. The scientists hope the lake’s untouched water will reveal more about life on our planet 20 million years ago.
The lake, in the most inhospitable region of the planet, is kept liquid by geothermal heat under the ice and its conditions are often described as ‘alien’ because they are thought to be akin to the subterranean lakes on Jupiter’s moon Europa.
Their radio silence has conjured chilling echoes of classic horror film The Thing, where scientists dig up a buried spacecraft in the Antarctic ice, only to unleash an extraterrestrial horror within.
Base of operations: The Russians are operating out of the Vostok Station, pictured here, which opened in December 1957
Cross country vehicles deliver food and fuel to the Vostok Antarctic research station, one of the coldest and most inhospitable places on Earth. It has recorded temperatures of -89 centigrade
Hidden: A satellite image of Lake Vostok which has been buried under ice for 20million years. Russian scientists are on the verge of breaking through
Valery Lukin, chief of the Russian Antactic Expedition, said last month: ‘We do not know what is waiting for us down there.’
The water inside the lake will have had no contact with man-made pollutants or Earthly life forms for millions of years.
Last year the scientists working in freezing temperatures at Lake Vostok came within ten to 50 metres of the surface of the ‘relic lake’.
But with the summer almost over, the team will have to leave the remote site within days – before it gets too cold for a plane to land.
Robin E. Bell, a researcher at Columbia University who has visited the region, told MailOnline that the team is focused on getting their job done while they still can, and it’s premature to fear the worst.
Harsh conditions: The Russian teams, working out of this outpost over Lake Vostok, has only days before the temperatures become unbearable
John Carpenter’s The Thing: The 1982 classic centres on a group of scientists who dig up an alien buried under the Antarctic ice
Treacherous island: The red circle denotes the area of Antarctica where a team of Russian scientists were working before mysteriously losing contact
She said: ‘I wouldn’t read too much into it. When you’re doing something very challenging, the last thing you want to do is chat to people’.
Ms Bell added that the Lake Vostok expedition is very important to the Russians and that Mr Lukin’s team are ‘the best people to drill in the world’.
During drilling temperatures have sunk to minus 66C, and the lowest temperature ever recorded on earth was found at Vostok Station.
On July 21, 1983, temperatures hit minus 89.2C.
Drill: Lake Vostok, seen in this satellite image, is one of the most inhospitable environments on earth. During drilling at the site temperatureshave hit -66C
Equipment at the remote research station: Vostok Station in Antarctica is among the coldest and most hostile places on Earth
Antarctica, McMurdo Station, boxes of ice cores from Lake Vostok beneath the polar plateau
When the breakthrough moment comes they must take care not to contaminate the hidden underground world with bacteria and fluids from the drilling.
EXPEDITION TO ANTARCTICA
In most expeditions in Antarctica, getting there is half the battle, and with such treacherous terrain, it has to be done properly.
All trips to the continent begin in Christchurch, New Zealand, where scientists will catch a military transport plane, usually a C-130 with skis.
Passengers are then flown to McMurdo Station, the setting for the United States Antarctic Program’s science facility.
All flights to and out of Antarctica must go through McMurdo.
From there, it’s off to other points on the continent, including the U.S.-owned Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station at the most southern point of the earth.
To make sure the water stays completely pure, the machinery will not even touch the lake.
Instead suction will be used to suck samples of the unique water into the borehole, where it will freeze before being raised to the surface for analysis.
The team also faces the risk of an explosion with oxygen and nitrogen trapped below.
They are trying to make sure only a small amount of air can escape to avert the risk.
The scientists have been drilling 24 hours a day in three shifts as they race to break through before winter descends.
John Priscu, a Montana State University researcher, told the Washington Post the Russian scientists told him they were just 40ft from where the waterline is thought to lie.
He told the newspaper: ‘This is a huge moment for science and exploration, breaking through to this enormous lake that we didn’t even know existed until the 1990s.
‘If it goes well, a breakthrough opens up a whole new chapter in our understanding of our planet and possibly moons in our solar system and planets far beyond.
‘If it doesn’t go well, it casts a pall over the whole effort to explore this wet underside of Antarctica.’
The lake is one of the largest bodies of freshwater in the world – matching Lake Ontario in its size. Its existence though suspected since the end of the 19th century was only confirmed by sonar and satellite imaging in the last decade and a half.
Specialists at the Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute predict they will find ‘the only giant super-clean water system on the planet’.
Vostok Station, 1967: A supply plane delivers foodstuffs and equipment to Vostok polar station
They forecast the extraordinary 5,400 cubic kilometres of water in pristine Lake Vostok, encased by ice since before man existed, will be ‘twice cleaner than double-distilled water’.
There is also the strong prospect of discovering completely unknown life forms in its clear ancient waters, the largest and deepest sub-glacial lake in Antarctica.
Environmental groups have criticised the work on the site – and the chemicals used such as keosene to keep the hole open.
Others have said the site should not be explored but instead left in pristine condition.
The worst possible scenario could be the water suddenly shooting up through the hole when the breakthrough is made.
Up to a quarter of the lake’s water could shoot out of the hole, John Priscu said, if the worst fears are realised.
Former Vice President Al Gore is currently on an unrelated expedition near the Weddell Sea with Virgin magnate Richard Branson, filmmaker James Cameron and dozens of others.
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Categories: Science&Tech Tags: Alien, Antarctic, Buried, drilling, Into, Lake, Russian, Scientists, Vostok, Year's
Lake Vostok: Russian scientists on verge of drilling into Antarctic lake hidden under ice for 20MILLION years
- Antarctic summer will come to an end within days – team’s last chance to leave the station
- Conditions in lake similar to lakes on moons of Saturn and Jupiter
- Remote station recorded coldest-ever temperature on earth: -89C
By Rob Cooper
Last updated at 6:36 PM on 3rd February 2012
A team of Russian scientists has mysteriously lost contact with colleagues in the U.S. as they drill into a lake buried beneath the Antarctic ice for 20 million years.
The scientists had been battling conditions of minus 66C at Lake Vostok, as they raced to drill into a lake buried two miles beneath the ice before the weather closed in. They scientists hope the lake’s untouched water will reveal more about life on our planet 20 million years ago.
The lake, in the most inhospitable region of the planet, is kept liquid by geothermal heat under the ice and its conditions are often described as ‘alien’ because they are thought to be akin to the subterranean lakes on Jupiter’s moon Europa.
Their radio silence has conjured chilling echoes of classic horror film The Thing, where scientists dig up a buried spacecraft in the Antarctic ice, only to unleash an extraterrestrial horror within.
Cross country vehicles deliver food and fuel to the Vostok Antarctic research station, one of the coldest and most inhospitable places on Earth. It has recorded temperatures of -89 centigrade
Antarctica, McMurdo Station, boxes of ice cores from Lake Vostok beneath the polar plateau
Hidden: A satellite image of Lake Vostok which has been buried under ice for 20million years. Russian scientists are on the verge of breaking through
John Carpenter’s The Thing: The 1982 classic centres on a group of scientists who dig up an alien buried under the Antarctic ice
Valery Lukin, chief of the Russian Antactic Expedition, said last month: ‘We do not know what is waiting for us down there.’
The water inside the lake will have had no contact with man-made pollutants or Earthly life forms for millions of years. Twenty million years ago, the dinosaurs had already been wiped out, but life on Earth looked very different to what it does now – human beings and chimpanzees still shared a common ancestor when the water was sealed inside the lake.
Last year the scientists working in freezing temperatures at Lake Vostok came within ten to 50 metres of the surface of the ‘relic lake’.
But with the summer almost over, the team will have to leave the remote site within days – before it gets too cold for a plane to land.
Equipment at the remote research station: Vostok Station in Antarctica is among the coldest and most hostile places on Earth
Drill: Lake Vostok, seen in this satellite image, is one of the most inhospitable environments on earth. During drilling at the site temperatureshave hit -66C
It has been reported that a support team in the U.S. has been unable to make radio contact with the crew on the ice for the past five days.
The drilling operation is highly intricate – and dangerous.There is a risk of explosion from oxygen and nitrogen trapped in the lake.
Vostok Station is 3,488 metres – or 11,444 feet – above sea level, with devastating cyclonic winds, conditions are the most inhospitable on the planet.
Altitude sickness is a common problem, and it takes a slow sledge a month to bring in supplies across the ice from the Mirny base station, a five-hour plane journey away.
During drilling temperatures have sunk to minus 66C, and the lowest temperature ever recorded on earth was found at Vostok station.
On July 21, 1983, temperatures hit minus 89.2C.
When the breakthrough moment comes they must take care not to contaminate the hidden underground world with bacteria and fluids from the drilling.
To make sure the water stays completely pure, the machinery will not even touch the lake.
Instead suction will be used to suck samples of the unique water into the borehole, where it will freeze before being raised to the surface for analysis.
The team also face the risk of an explosion with oxygen and nitrogen trapped below. They are trying to make sure only a small amount of air can escape to avert the risk.
Vostok Station, 1967: A supply plane delivers foodstuffs and equipment to Vostok polar station
The scientists have been drilling 24-hours a day in three shifts as they race to break through before winter descends.
John Priscu, a Montana State University researcher, told the Washington Post the Russian scientists told him they were just 40ft from where the waterline is thought to lie.
He told the newspaper: ‘This is a huge moment for science and exploration, breaking through to this enormous lake that we didn’t even know existed until the 1990s.
‘If it goes well, a breakthrough opens up a whole new chapter in our understanding of our planet and possibly moons in our solar system and planets far beyond.
‘If it doesn’t go well, it casts a pall over the whole effort to explore this wet underside of Antarctica.’
The lake is one of the largest bodies of freshwater in the world – matching Lake Ontario in its size. Its existence though suspected since the end of the 19th century was only confirmed by sonar and satellite imaging in the last decade and a half.
Specialists at the Russian Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute predict they will find ‘the only giant super-clean water system on the planet’.
They forecast the extraordinary 5,400 cubic kilometres of water in pristine Lake Vostok, encased by ice since before man existed, will be ‘twice cleaner than double-distilled water’.
There is also the strong prospect of discovering completely unknown life forms in its clear ancient waters, the largest and deepest sub-glacial lake in Antarctica.
Environmental groups have criticised the work on the site – and the chemicals used such as keosene to keep the hole open.
Others have said the site should not be explored but instead left in pristine condition.
The worst possible scenario could be the water suddenly shooting up through the hole when the breakthrough is made.
Up to a quarter of the lake’s water could shoot out of the hole, John Priscu said, if the worst fears are realised.
Categories: Science&Tech Tags: 20MILLION, Antarctic, drilling, Hidden, Into, Lake, Russian, Scientists, Under, Verge, Vostok, Year's
Xappr Turns Smartphones Into Zapper Guns
You could do virtually anything on your smartphone, but there are so many things it has yet to do. Metal Compass comes with a brilliant idea of converting your smartphone into a functioning laser gun.
The Xappr allows smartphone owners to play various augmented reality and shooting games. It works, so far, with more than 10 AR games that enable players intercept alien spaceships, find and eliminate ghosts, fight evil robots, and hunt a horde of zombies.
The accessory is compatible with iPhones and Android handsets, while a model for Windows smartphones are in the works.
The Xappr will have its public debut in the international toy fair to be held in Nuremberg, Germany beginning February 1. Metal Compass now accept pre-orders from customers in United States, Canada, and Europe, for only $ 30 (plus shipping and handling), with shipping for the Xappr begins in June.
Source: Engadget
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ColorWare Might Turn Your iPhone 4 Into A Death-Grip-Resistant Beauty [Iphone 4]
The folks at ColorWare have been making gadgets look prettier for some time, but in the case of the iPhone 4 they might be taking it a step further: They’re trying to confirm it, but their process might include death-grip-proofing. More »
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