Eye-Camera:
An intra-ocular installation of an eye-camera.
An experiment in wearable technology, cybernetics, and perception.
I am attempting to recreate my eye with the help of a miniature camera implant in my prosthetic / artificial eye. The intraocular installation of an eye-cam will substitute for the field of vision of my left eye that I lost in 2005 from a car accident. While my prosthesis 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.
For more info or if you want to help: tanya@eyetanya.com
Dimensions: Here are the measurements of the shell that I am currently wearing. It’s an oddly shaped shell and it’s hard to tell how much room there really is in there.
Thickness: 8 mm (Right below the iris – but it looks like there may be more thickness in other parts of the shell.)
Length of Shell: 21 – 23 mm
Iris: 12.25 mm Diameter
Pupil (Lens/aperture) : 4.5 mm Diameter
Here is an article about my Ocularist, William Danz who is on board with the project: http://articles.latimes.com/2005/apr/10/magazine/tm-eyeguy15
The scleral shell is made out of PMMA or poly(methyl methacrylate) Acrylic.
The installation would possibly entail putting the camera in the molding while it hardens or drilling after the fact. But I’m no engineer! Just sharing information that I’ve picked up.
Specifications:
- SD at least, 720p HD at best
- MPEG-4 / H.264 Recording
- Built in Wireless Transmitter
- Bluetooth Wireless Method
- Remote Trigger
- Mini A/V out
- Firewire / USB / Mini HDMI
- Optical 3X
- Inductors: (Power Source)
External Mobile Application:
- Acts as remote
- Power source
- Feed
Wish List:
- Wireless
- 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
- Geo-tagging
- Facial Recognition
- Water Tight
- Verisimilitude
If you don’t already have a camera…
I know someone recently who had swallowed a pill camera so that his intestines could be checked out.
The doctors were able to read images from the camera for at least 14 hours.
When the camera came out, my relative was instructed to just throw it out. Apparently, even though they cost over $1000 they are not reused.
But I bet they could be disinfected, removed from their plastic capsule, given a new battery and reused.
I’ve no idea what is involved in receiving the signal from these cameras, but it can’t be that difficult for a technical type.
http://www.uihealthcare.com/reports/internalmedicine/040315camerapill-tv.html
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Can you provide the dimensions of your current prosthetic? This would be helpful from an engineering point of to determine what can and cannot fit into the volume of your eye socket.
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Lost vision in my right eye at age 7 (51 now) due to trauma. Being young really helps you adapt. They didn’t remove the damaged eye so I still have a viable optic nerve along with the ability to give folks the “evil eye”!
Hope you find the right people for your project. This could help quite a few folks!
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How deep is the prosthetic? Is it easy enough to remove on a regular basis for charging and debugging?
Here’s a camera module that might be appropriate:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8667
There are a number of tiny transceiver modules that would work for this application, such as this one:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=300
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One of those wireless cams people use for RC planes and helicopters come to mind. That way, a lot of the equipment to meet your requirements could be external and possibly readily available, such as being fed to a pocket pc. Something akin of this:
http://www.rctoys.com/rc-toys-and-parts/DF-Eyecam/RC-PARTS-WIRELESS-VIDEO-KITS.html
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Thanks for the responses so far! I’ve added the dimensions, information about the material, and information about my ocularist — look above.
Oh, and I can remove my prosthetic anytime, don’t usually do it in public I just don’t want to scare anyone.
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There’s a new smaller RF pill camera from Japan:
http://www.rfamerica.com/sayaka/
The FAQ indicates that it can capture 30 frames per second during an 8hr operation. That’s fast enough for a “real-time” feed.
A variation of this camera might fit inside a prosthetic eye. It also requires an external pack to be worn which is used for receiving the images and providing the power. I would wonder though about having the induction power emissions so close to the head/brain. Hmm, but probably not as bad as using a cell phone.
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I would suggest getting in touch with Steve Mann, who’s been working in this field since he could strap an Osborne to his scrawny teenage body.
Also, you are totally awesome for wanting to do this. Good luck!
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Just a suggestion, Have you tried contacting TV shows like “Prototype This” on the Discovery Channel? It seems to me that they would have the resources and initiative to take on an interesting and imaginative project such as this. I really want to see your project succeed, and I know the technology is out there just waiting to be applied. Good Luck!
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There’s no reason this can’t be done. I’m already going over it in my head and it is completely within the realm of current off-the-shelf technology. If you haven’t found someone to work on it…drop me an email.
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I don’t think you should include any connectors on the device. It should look almost exactly like your existing prosthetic, but have a wireless camera inside, which sends the raw video to an external device, such as an OQO, which would then have all the software, and additional hardware that you would need.
Maybe you should talk to the folks at red.com
They have expertise in this area and might be willing to help.
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I agree. I wear what appears to be a similar prosthetic and it must be absolutely clean and free of scratches. I’ve been trying with artistic glass-blown eyes and if they’re not right on the socket gets very irritated. I think the camera and hardware must fit inside what the current dimensions of the prosthetic are. I’m holding out for a laser beam or night vision.
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This is a really fascinating idea. I’ve often thought about electrical replacements for eyes, but never simply utilizing the socket for other optical purposes like this.
There are certainly cameras tiny enough to fit inside such a space, but the problems come from microprocessors that would be required for such tasks as recording or even wirelessly transmitting the video data to an external processor. Sadly, it is a task I am not properly equipped to deal with, as I am more of a macro engineer, rather than micro.
I do like Eric’s idea, above. Contacting the Discovery Channel may indeed prove fruitful, but I’m afraid the actors on “Prototype This” would not be skilled enough to tackle your challenge. I suspect you would do best to get in touch with some of the engineers who do work on cell phone electronics and packaging, as they often incorporate small cameras and are used to dealing with tight working envelopes.
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I’m not denying this is really cool. But I can’t see how you benefit from this. How is this any better than having a camera in my sunglasses? You can’t see the video unless you use your one good eye, so you’re not augmenting your vision. You basically have a better place to put the camera than I do (I have to put it in my hat or in my sunglasses). Is there something I’m missing?
It would be a cool project, and I might want to help, but I need to understand your goal.
Logan
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Power is going to be your #1 problem.
With the dimensions you’ve specified, there’s no way to fit a lithium-polymer cell in that space that will be able to drive a small camera (and definitely not a transmitter with it) for any reasonable amount of time.
In that volume, the maximum lithium-polymer cell you could fit would be approx. 50mAh (@3.7V). There’s no getting around it; battery technologies have a fixed energy density.
A good example of an ultra-low-power camera is the one posted earlier in the SparkFun link. That camera uses 40mA current when operating (at 15fps only). So even ignoring any supporting circuitry, a battery in the space of that eye would only be able to power the camera itself for about 1 hour.
I’m not saying the project is impossible, just that the scope of the finished product will still be limited by current technology.
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I think you should refine your list of features with an engeneer. there are way too many similar interfaces, sd card would be enough for everthing, keep firmware on it, dump to it. Just a camera that dumps to memory would be easy.
I also would suggest a chemical self tinting lens instead of a mechanical apperture, quie limited but just being a chemical layer on the lens, would take teh load off mechanical and electronic systems.
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Just saw your link over on http://www.gizmodo.com and wanted to pop over to drop you a line. I am no engineer, but I had to tell you how great I think it is that you are looking to the private sector for this. Many advances have been made in prostheses in recent years and your challenge can only advance such efforts. Best of luck!
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I think the most realistic idea at this point would be a camera in the shell, connected via concealed wiring (carrying either USB or composite+power) to glasses frames, with the wire heading backwards along one leg of the glasses and into something like a OQO PC, as someone suggested.
You could get someone to easily write some software to detect long blinks (because the image would turn mostly black..) and save a sequence of images taken in the few seconds prior.. also other blink patterns, like rapid blinking to start recording video, and then rapid blinks again to stop.
Ideas like the endoscopy cameras people have suggested previously are also an option, however you would likely still need the glasses frame to conceal the inductance loops for powering them and receiving data, and they may be infeasibly large.
Anyway, this is a great project! I will do some digging for camera modules and post back here.
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I can’t help you directly but I’m glad to link to this page from my crazy digital camera web pages:
http://www.JetCityOrange.com/photos/
http://www.JetCityOrange.ocm/photos/camera-hacks.html
http://www.JetCityOrange.com/photos/TargetCamera/
Om mani padme hum.
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The Idea is great and will push the envelope/state of the art. I would approach following University of Illinois and Northwestern people re: optically concave camera systems:
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=112012
2) Regarding your suggested use of microwave frequencies (1-2+ Ghz) next to (or actually, in this case, inside of) the head, based on my knowledge of the field as IEEE engineer and as a person who has worked in MW research lab environments, I would be extremely careful/avoid using 1-2 Ghz frequencies next to (inside the head).
Several key researchers, including University of Albany Bioinitiative group at http://www.bioinitiative.org, leading neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta ( CNN Larry King), European Union Environmental Agency, German govt etc, appear to have started using a precautionary approach with 1-2 Ghz microwave communications next to the brain. Some studies have found negative effects in cell functions even with miniscule wattage levels, sometimes being worse with less power, more dependent on specific modulation model/waveform. Negative effects were found even with RFID type of devices in Germany and France (cancers around the RFID devices in dogs)
Some of the key substances effected by 1-2ghz radiation are: Acetylcholine, Myelin sheets in nerve cells (therefore even worse for MS/Alzheimer patients naturally), Melatonin (linked to cancer risk when not properly created in the body), proteins (incl. heat shock protein HSP27). Other effects some people report with Bluetooth devices are: short term memory loss, headaches, dizziness, nausea, vertigo, tingling sensations etc, classic MW symptoms known since 1950s. Contrary to what the wireless industry wants to admit, there are non-thermal effects in microwave radiation, Argonne National Lab researchers have acknowledged this even when answering teenager’s questions:
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen99/gen99445.htm
This International Association of Fire Fighters www page sums up a lot of 1-2ghz stuff, read regardless of the title: http://www.iaff.org/HS/Resi/CellTowerFinal.htm
Check also EU Environmental Agency page:
http://www.eea.europa.eu/highlights/radiation-risk-from-everyday-devices-assessed
Dont get worried, just be aware of risks.
MT.
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I love this! I would be very interested in doing this, I will not claim to be an engineer in the least but this is something I would love to tinker with and see if I could get a working prototype up. Would I be able to get a more detailed set of measurements or possibly an identical mockup of the shell?
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You should create a paypal donate button and add it to your blog. People who are not engineers might donate, financing some of the costs of the project
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Being able to get all the information and create a decent proposal should allow for a government grant as well, since this would most likely help spure research for creating a fully functional eye for people in this situation. I feel all tingly when I think of someone actually figuring out how to connect a camera to the brain and translate the signals properly to restore site >.<
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Ok, so this camera looks good: http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/en/news-12994-The+Volvox+USB+webcam+key.html
And this OQO: http://www.oqo.com/intl/ (keep on your belt)
And some AWG32+ wire (painted your skin color)
Glue onto glasses frames, and away you go..
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I’m an engineer who could design and build this. However, I’m certain that it would be my full-time job for months. The power requirement is the largest concern, since cameras are very hungry devices on the scale of most electronic components. Inductive coupling would certainly work, but still requires a coil wired very near the eye, in glasses or an eyepatch-like device. Battery power is a problem as mentioned above, if you use rechargeable batteries. I propose, at least until battery performance improves, that this device could be initially designed to use zinc-air batteries as used for hearing aids. A 675-size cell is 5.2mm thick and 11.4mm across, and supplies about 600maH at 1.4 volts. Two or three of these cells would provide enough power to run the 40mA camera mentioned above for 15 hours. If wireless was not used, the camera could dump images to a local MicroSD card. If wireless communication is necessary, Bluetooth might require too much power. But a lot of work has been done, by IBM and others, in communicating between devices by using the human body as a transmission medium. The power requirements are quoted in nanoamps. This would allow the eye to communicate with a watch or handheld device for viewing and control. Anyway, it’s unlikely that I would get the time and cash to build this device, so I hope my comments are useful to anyone who does decide to try.
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Hey Tanya,
I am an electronics engineer and I have had some experience with design and software development. As other people pointed out, the most important concern is how to power the camera. Similar mechanisms have to be researched. As far as the implementation goes, wireless transmission is the only chance for a proper and useful outcome. Software part should be the trivial part as long as you have the camera output sent to a external box. This is an awesome project but it requires a lot of planning and resources. All the best of luck,
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tas loca neeeena!
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First: what a cool project! I think you need to decide exactly what you’re trying to achieve. Do you want a live feed from this camera, or do you want to use it to record your day? I think the second might be a realistic and interesting starting point. It would allow you to put all the storage inside the eyeball and do away with any external connections (tricky) or wireless link (power hungry). We could then try to pack enough power into the eyeball to run continuously for a whole day. By continuously I don’t mean recording video, which would take a huge amount of storage, but maybe taking stills or short video captures after a blink. This could also bring the power requirements down to s’thing reasonable. Then, for version two…
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I’m by no means a professional engineer, but I am an amateur one as well as a designer and artist and I can tell you from the human perspective, the main issue isn’t going to be power, but the asthetical limitations of the current technology.
The average micro camera on the market today has a lense roughly 2-3 times the diameter of the black part of the pupil on your prosthetic. A smaller lense could be made, but it would be a custom unit and thus the cost would be insaine and even then current tech wouldn’t allow said custom lense to give a very sharp picture as you’d be pushing the limits of current lense manufacturing.
Now if you don’t mind looking like you came out of a scifi convention, these limits are removed, but I’m guessing you are going for a more subtel approach.
As for the device itself, you have room for a camera, a wireless transmitter and a battery, a very weak battery unfortuantely. That is all you need though as all the other features you have described are so processor intensive that they would have to be done on an external laptop, cellphone or pda. I will point out that all of those things can be done quite easily though, once you accept that fact.
Also I’d like to kindly disagree with our engineering friend. He is describing a device that could be built if cost is not a factor and I’m guessing it would be. Also human body transmission is in it’s early stages and has yet to be proven safe.
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wow. goodluck. this needs persistence.
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TEŞEKKÜRLER
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I am not an engineer by trade, but I am fascinated by your desire to pursue this concept. In science fiction literature, might I suggest reading Speaker for the Dead in the Ender’s Game series by Orson Scott Card, where the main character encounters a child that has such a similar prosthesis. It actually becomes a bit of a plot vehicle, as the child is able to connect to a terminal and share his video feed with others. However, a limitation mentioned within the same novel is the lack of a matching audio feed. I would consider for the initial versions using an additional exterior audio recording device that would allow you to match up audio to the video on playback.
I wish you the best and hope you find the right team for this project!
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Mechanical Engineer here, and I’ve have to agree with some of the statements about power being a limiting factor. Unfortunately, technology has been advancing so fast and designed so many fantastic new devices; but our development of new batteries has been one of the largest roadblocks to designing a finished product. Based on the dimensions available for the eye, fitting a small webcam encased in a sufficient packaging, there’s very little room for a battery.
As for neural uplinks… they have been done, but with a substantial investment and can be highly dangerous. If there was a way to uplink the output of the eye to your brain, you would have to have a connection in the back of the socket feeding to the brain. This would require surgery.
If the goal is to make an eye which can offload information to a computer for review, an external database could be fed the info via wireless. This might be a more approachable goal. I agree with HowardC on his points there.
As for a exposure based on light levels (iris and it’s schpincter and dilator muscles), one could look at light-reactive materials to emulate the human eye: http://www.innovations-report.de/html/berichte/materialwissenschaften/bericht-43040.html The link provides a good read, as this type of plastic could be embedded into the circular root of a stretchy pupil and contract or expand to vary the light exposure on the camera. Wouldn’t required input energy either.
If you could somehow manage to set a stretchable photovoltaic surface (solar call fabric: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_cell_fabric) around the pupil, you could have some measure of recharge of the eye’s power cell on the fly provided there is light.
A couple of great ideas here, keep them coming! I’ll put some more thought into design. I’ve had significant experience with electronics and circuits, but very little with RF and Wireless transmission of data. As for Mechanical design and Materials selection, I could be a bit of a help here.
Cheers!
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Hi. I also have a prosthetic eye. I lost my right eye to ocular melanoma. I understand the instalation process and the idea, but I don’t understand how the camera will bring you the field of vision you are seeking. Will you carry a screen with you? Will this be conntcted to your brain? How will you regain the vision on that side? I’m fascinated! Please share!
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Shall we ad AI to the eye, some kind of artificial neural network to enhance the functionality ! 😛
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Everybody keeps talking about how much we can shove into the eyeball she wears. Since she can’t “use it” [it won’t restore her vision] why not build a Borg size ocular device the size of a large eye-patch? Or is that just not aestetically [sp?] desirable? It overcomes alot of space/power/dollar issues if the tech doesn’t have to be absolutely tiny.
It’s up to the lady of course …
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HowardC: The camera size is not the issue, many cellphone camera modules are quite small enough. For example, the Sparkfun camera module someone else linked is 6x6x4.5mm overall size, with a lens diameter of much less than the required 4.5mm. The 40mA quoted draw is at 30FPS, too. If this was downgraded to a 15FPS or a blink-cam, the use per set of hearing aid batteries might rise to a week.
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I heard about your project from the boing boing blog. It occurred to me that many of the so-called spy-cameras aren’t really that small compared the cameras in your average mobile phone. So I googled around and found these guys to manufacture cameras for mobile phones:
http://www.tessera.com/
I always though of artificial eyes as being spherical, as you imagine an eyeball to be, but videos on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OB5wTYNscWs) i’ve learned that they’re quite flat, shaped by a mold taken of the eye-socket. Is this because eye-muscles are left intact whenever possible? Anyway this would probably puts a limit of how much electronics you can squeeze into on. Also it would have to be hollowed out and a small hole would have to be made where the pupil is painted on. I don’t know how fragile the acrylic is, whether it would break if you made it into a thin shell.
I always though of artificial eyes as being
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I would be glad to help in anyway I can. For an ongoing daily performance I developed a tiny camera and barcode scanner that fits nicely into the roof of my mouth, and runs power and data wires through a hole my cheek wall. I am using it to index images and barcodes. —matt Kenyon http://www.swamp.nu
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I too have lost an eye and something like this would be marvellous. i hope you have success with this.
good luck
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I have a colleague and good friend in Mechanical Engineering who would be excited about this project. Here’s his web page: http://www.hitl.washington.edu/people/eseibel/
Eric was recently featured on several news stories about a miniaturized camera that he could swallow – sounds like your specifications might be met soon. http://uwnews.org/article.asp?articleid=39292
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I’m congenitally blind in my right eye. If you make any serious progress, I’d be happy to [POP!] out that eye and replace it with something really useful.
Seriously, good luck with this project — a lot of people are pulling for you.
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Blinding idea
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i’ve emailed a few ideas to you, one of which is to use optical comms by sending and receiving data from a series of different colour LED’s on a pair of modified glasses as well as charging its internal battery at the same time.
Hope this helps, -A
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My first thought would be something sonar. For a practical day to day use knowing there is something close to your blind side could prompt you to look round and see what it is. It’s not as fun as an actual eye camera and it will likely look nothing like a real eye but it could compensate for your peripheral vision perhaps.
Just a random thought. I have no idea how many problems would be caused by mounting it in your head.
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why not just get a camera and attach it to a helmet .
i’d be more concerned with using the camera to see .
this is a waste of time and technology
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Fascinating project. A number of posters have listed power as a major concern.
There are two articles that caught my eye…
The first uses blood (sugar) to create electricity.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/03/1059849278131.html
The second uses a thermocouple
http://medgadget.com/archives/2005/11/biothermal_powe.html
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greetings from a fellow cyclops (since birth). while I’m content with being one-eyed, I think this is really cool and wish you all the best.
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cyclops in the house….lost my right eye awhile back…getting my eye lense tomorrow…good luck and will see if this works out…really interested in a eye-cam…thanks
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I am wondering if it is possible to power this device using kinetic energy like you can find in ECO Watches or tiny solar cells also found in watches. http://www.content4reprint.com/recreation-and-leisure/sports/how-seiko-kinetic-watches-compare-with-citizen-eco-drive-for-divers.htm
This might be a solution for power.
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Ok, How often are you willing to charge this? Also, how long does this camera need to run between charges? Given the total run time and the list of features it should be possible to determine how large the batteries would need to be. Then, you start trading run time and features to gain space.
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Honestly, a small webcam with a bluetooth chip seems feasible if you’d carry a pc with a bluetooth chip to use it for storage or recording live.
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Reminds me of a film by name of Doomsday.
Quote from an article about the film:
“The leader of the rescue squad is Rhona Mitra as a steely agent who goes by the significantly loaded name of Eden Sinclair. She favours black spandex for work and has a razor cut bob that suggests Victoria Beckham’s stylist now has some sort of Government job. As a child, Eden narrowly escaped the plague quarantine, leaving behind her mother and an eye, which has been replaced by a removable bionic ball that she can pluck out and roll across the floor to get a new perspective on dangerous situations.”
http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/sos-review/Film-of-the-week-Doomsday.4047208.jp
Wasn’t a bad film either…
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Hi, I’m an embedded systems engineer, I’ve designed similar systems both in hardware as well as firmware. I have about 10 years of professional experience. I think what *someone* should do who is willing to commit some time is draft up a sort of “marketing requirements document” which would be loosely based on available technologies, and begin a review process with Tanya. With such definition the above discussions would have much more of a focus. Most engineers probably look at this as “very cool” but it’s so loosely defined that it quickly becomes bogged down with too much ambiguity. Also, people, remember that Tanya is an artist who is interested in sci-fi which is likely a large part of her “call to arms” so any comments about how a pair of sunglasses with a camera in them would be a more practical solution are mostly missing the point. I’d be interested in helping with the “MRD” as long as there weren’t any firm time commitments. Perhaps if a sharepoint were started where approved contributors could work on documentation together, we could get a sort of open source project going? Let me know and I’d donate some time towards getting this kicked off.
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Sounds like an ideal application for Micrsoft’s Sensecam work. Basically, the sensecam is a camera your wear on a necklace that passively takes pictures throughout your day to document life. The interesting researchy bit is mining all this data to get useful information.
Your specs are a bit ambitious for video, but I think something like a sensecam (passively take pictures every few mintues, perhaps could be triggered by extereme movement) would be idea. Especially since, unlike the necklace sensecam, one in your prosthetic eye would actually record what you’re looking at! If you don’t mind popping out your eye at the end of the day to sync/charge, I think this is a good idea. You should contact Microsoft Research.
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Maybe it is just me but I feel rather uncomfortable knowing that this technology is viable. I’m not a fan of surveillance, covert less so, but it strikes me that aside from the harmless everyday useage this technology is likey to be used in that context. It’d be interesting to see who makes the most use of it though – intelligence agencies, law enforcement agencies, criminals or terrorists (not sure if they’d count as terrorists). I wonder which of those groups would be most likely to increase the percentage of their members that are suitable for ocular implants artificially (that is to say not through natural wastage of eyes)?
I have to say that the one thing that’d deter me from a bionic eye – when the image is to be interpreted by the brain rather than acting as a recording device, is the potential for external interference. I’m not sure I like the idea of someone implanting images unbidden into my head!
That said good luck with the project! 🙂
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I was born blind in my right eye. Eventually I lost the eyeball due to a doctor screwing it up after surgery was done in Boston MA.
This fascinates me. I would love to have something like this implanted on my scleral shell.
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How much leniency is there in the form factor? Based on looking at my ST Micro camera module (very small, 5mp 30fps low power etc) 8mm is really pushing it for depth, could we go to 12mm? I know a lot about electronics but very little about eyes…
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Interesting idea – I’m no engineer, but I thought I’d mention this possibility: If one connects a large capacity [but physically tiny] capacitor in series with a resistor, it takes time for the capacitor to discharge through that resistor. So, it could act as a temporary ‘battery’. Now, I assume the lady would be around cities and cellphone towers, etc. much of the time perhaps. So, one could conceivably receive cellphone tower and or wi-fi radio energy through a tiny receiver and perhaps use that energy to charge the capacitor. This arrangement could maybe then be used to _supplement_ a rechargeable battery’s power whenever the user is near any radio frequency energy source, thus maybe extending the time such a battery could be utilized before primary recharging? Such a receiver circuit would be very simple, probably a simple tiny diode and antenna arrangement, but might increase the usable time between recharging significantly whenever the user was within detection range of such radio frequency energy – like most of the time in cities, for example. Just an idea. HTH
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Your issue here broaches on a new media experience that I have predicted for a long time – the possibility of individuals webcasting their life. this will become the ultimate “reality game”, and of course it could be done with a small headcam or other device, but the eyccam is perfect. The book Sliver focused on this subject, but unfortunately the movie flaunted the sexual aspect of it. In actuality, people would (as in the book) become addicted to watching other peoples lives, and there would be no paucity of people willing to broadcast their experience. I do think that this will happen, its just a matter of time until the technology is available.
By the way, I have a prosthetic eye also and in fact am just having it replaced (3rd one in 40 years). Good luck to you on your challenge.
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As ridiculous as this may sound, are you prepared to have surgery to make this work? If so why not have a battery implanted, in the same way as they do for pacemakers etc. Not that I’m a doctor, but I imagine you could then have a socket at the back of your eye to plug the eyeball into directly. And if you get sick of recording video you could have it power a light, which would be quite handy to find things during the night 🙂
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Since power seems to be the major space issue, I have to wonder what the feasibility would be of implanting a power/data line from the eye socket through to a point behind the ear where a battery pack and data storage could be fitted like a hearing aid. Drawbacks of course would be how to work the connectors inside the eye socket and the two transdermal sites, but I think this would alleviate a lot of the problem with fitting batteries inside the prosthetic. You could essentially just have the camera itself and the connections inside…
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I wish you the best of luck on this goal, don’t give up – technology is constantly improving and shrinking! Your flexible approach to your situation has earned my respect.
A secular humanist and (future) transhumanist.
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Forget the camera! Just stick a red LED in there 😉
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The currently listed specifications are not relevant for the prosthetic.
Needs to be: Lens/AF, CMOS Imaging Sensor, (bridge chip), wireless transmitter, Antenna, power supply
Then one has a ‘box’ with multiple antennas placed at furthest shoulder level, and the listed myriad of features. This may alleviate some of the power and cost impossibilities.
Additionally what are your requirements for balance? The inhomogeneous nature will need a defined center of mass for it to feel and fit correct.
Examples: Sony IMX060PQ (~$25) with IU060F (~$90) measure 10×11.5x~9(H)mm @12.25Mpix
and the Powerstream GM601118 ($6.50) 11x18x6mm 1.6g 3.6V 75mAh (cust. nec.)
this assumes eye twitches can be resolved in software, and a MIPI to UHF bridge with error correction is feasible.
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Whoa! This exact concept has been an interest of mine for years- I’ve got an undying interest in cybernetics and ‘cyborg’ augmentation. Hell, next to me right now is a doodle I did last week of how an eyecamera might work. I’m not an engineer and both of my eyes are healthy (if near-sighted) so it was simply a creative exercise, however. I imagine such a device using rechargeable watch/hearing aid batteries, storing photos on a microSD card, and being triggered by a switch implanted on a tooth with a wire running through the skull to the eye socket (probably not advisable for real life). Then I would daydream how someone conducting CIA surveillance/undercover police work/industrial espionage could benefit from such a device. Best of luck on your quest, if I ever find myself sans a limb or eye I’ll be popping some cool tech in my prosthesis as well!
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I think it’s a great idea! DO IT!
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Don’t do it. Maybe it would cause cancer or something.I wouldn’t mess with electronics near your head.I have headaches in my left eye I wish would go away but can’t get rid of and don’t know why.mho
ps.You are very attractive.
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How much are you willing to spend for this device?
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While you may be able to coblle something together that will embed a camera in your prosthetic eye it will be a nuisance and will not really help you very much at all. The likelyhood that this will be able to be implemented well enough to improve your vision is zero.
As another poster here said.. power will be a problem. Heat form that device could also be a problem .
I see no reason to pursue this whatsoever.
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Fascinating idea and good luck with the project!
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Hey thats really cool what you want to do …I would love to know how everything turns out I’m blind in my right eye due to an accident in 2005 as well and I guess I could say I know how you feel wanting something more than just a scleral shell (prosthesis). Well good luck. Let me know how it turns out
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I would think you would need a way to turn it off withoiut removing it. for situations like trying on clothes, taking a shower, etc.
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It all starts with an idea. If doctors can implant probes into the ear to trasmit sound directly to the brain, like with the Cochlear Implant; they should be albe to trasmit vision or video as well.
Good Luck in your search!
A~ ; 0 )
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Check out Professor Steve Mann’s research and earable rig (currently with the University of Toronto, formerly PhD and founding member of MIT’s Wearables Lab, http://www.eyetap.org, http://www.eecg.toronto.edu/~mann/ ).
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earable –> wearable
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Anyone think about open-sourcing this project? It would be the perfect way to bring all these ideas together. http://www.openprosthetics.org/ seems like it would be a good community to fit into.
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I am an electrical and computer engineer, this project does not seem out of the scope of current technology by any means, remote power has seen enough advances that the eye could be powered through induction like rfid tags.
Here is something interesting you should look at
http://www.artificialvision.com/etumble.htm
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I’m not an mechanic, either, but this fascinates me. I’ll pray that this works out for you!
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I’ve been holding out for about 13 years for technology to catch up to fiction in the realm of cybernetics. Since I was around 16 years old, I’ve wanted to replace my failed left eye with a small computer. Visual input would be nice, but I’ve never been able to see with that side, really, so I was thinking I’d find information readouts more useful–internet access, temperature display, distance to other solid objects, perhaps… I imagine it like having a heads-up display on my left periphery, somewhat like the view in Terminator or the infrafred and ultraviolet vision of the creatures in the Predator movies.
I was born with amblyopia and strabismus in 1979. My parents weren’t well-educated in the field of vision repair and did not follow the doctors’ directions for treatment and therapy. This resulted, after the age of 7 years old, with my current state of effective blindness in my left eye. I’ve been an avid consumer of sci-fi since I could read anything at all, with William Gibson and Neal Stephenson being very strong influences.
If other volunteers for this prototyping are desired, I’d be willing to have my left eye out for a new piece of equipment.
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Id be concerned about wireless transmisions causing brain damage.
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I really wish you all the luck with this experiment. You will be the first person, who could say “click” and take a mental picture.
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Pingback: Here’s an interesting post about a young lady who wants to replace her prosthetic eye with a video camera « Jack’s Musings - It ain’t easy being me
Hey my names Olivia im 15 ….i cant belive you want a webcam in your eye ….thats so cool ….well i hope it all works out for you and you have no problems ….love LIV xo
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I posted a link to your blog and the story I found about you on my website! Thanks for your inspiring story and may your wish come true!
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I lost my right eye when I was a baby due to ROP and I used to be one of Dr. Danz’ patients when I was living in Hawaii. I also have a scleral shell. This is a wonderful idea and I hope you are able to get this project realized – I will be next in line 🙂
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You are so cool it hurts, good luck on your quest and I hope you make it^^
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Hi Tanya… Hi @ll
Ever thought about a power/data cable going through the back of your eye, town the spinal canal and from there subcutan down into the region of your belly. there you got Loads of space for a transmitting device, a “large” batterypack and so on… Even a “plug”-solution through a modified port-a-cath would be possible.
This would need some serious surgery, but its doable, and its realistic. a Shunt is made the same way… (wiki that)
This way, you would have more than enough space in your eye socket for a affordable, but good cam, since you dont have to squeeze in the whole bunch of battery/transmitter(bluetooth/wifi) and processing units into a tiny space… Use your abdominal area, theres plenty of space.
A drawback of this would be a higher infection risk. But if i read your posts right you search for a sci-fi-like solution including maybe more than just normal video (think about thermal or Infrared for example. you could place damn small pc in your belly, the only thing you would need in your eye would be a lense with a datastorage (miniSD for example)
Mail me if you want to know more about such a kind of device…
Greetz Ben
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Have you read this: http://www.amazon.com/Silicon-Eye-Computers-Obsolete-Enterprise/dp/0393057631
From Booklist
Gilder, author and knowledgeable Silicon Valley insider, tells the fascinating tale of Caltech’s Carver Mead, his influences and associates. They sparked a revolution that aims to supplant the digital “eyes” of our cameras and high-tech phones with a silicon eye based on a human model; theirs is the first imager in cameras based on the serious study of the human retina and neural system, called the Foveon X3. The author traces the 20-year journey of Mead, his team, and their company, Foveon, as they create a new age combining the digital and biological world, aiming to make all current computers, cameras, and cell phones obsolete. They expect the Foveon device to evolve into functioning in some way both as an eye and as a brain. Gilder observes, “Foveon will do for the camera what Intel did for the computer: Reduce it to a chip and make it ubiquitous. Dismantle it and disperse it across the network. Render it wireless, wanton, and waste-able.”
Mary Whaley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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As a student of Electrical Engineering( N.DIP ELEC>ENG) keep in mind that to use academics is a great benefit, talk about it in all ways and verbal and written communication. Engineers even us as technicians can build it after we hear what you need. We are a society and do network.That dimention is not out of reach.
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If you are asking someone to develop a webcam for your eye – why not ask someone to develop a camera to be in the artificial eye, but one that would be able to be “wired” into the part of the eye and brain that would actually allow you to see, at least somewhat, and not just a videa of what that eye saw during a particular day? This would definitely be a breakthrough for so many people with similar problems.
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Having been blind my entire life due to retinopathy of prematurity,
(ROP) previously called Retrolentilfibroplasia, I do not see out
of my left eye, and have only 5% vision in my right.
I am curious if your optic nerve is still intact. Perhaps a small
webcam can be connected to that in some way?
My thought is this, suppose a small incision were made under
your left breast, like they do when performing breast enhancement
surgery. A small power supply that can be charged by induction
can be implanted in your breast just like they do with implants
today. Instead of wire going to the webcam device, how about using
a strand or two of fiber optic cable? Not only do you eliminate
electromagnetic radiation being given off by a wire, but commands
can be sent to the webcam to zoom in/out. I’ve always had a though.
Since the optic nerve itself doesn’t “see”, as its function is to
only transmit electrical impulses to the brain, it would be
interesting to figure out if a webcam capable of seeing infrared
would give you the ability to do so.
You also eliminate the need for a computer as your brain would
have to learn to decode the electrical impulses from the CCD.
As an experiment, take a TV remote and press it’s button.
Chances are, the LED contained within is infrared.
Not visible to the human eye, but to most webcams on the market
today, very very visible. Another post suggested your abdomen
area. I think this would be impractical. Human breast tissue
is mostly fat, and surgeons who have experience in breast
reconstruction may be able to create a housing for a small
power supply that can be charged by induction.
I’m no engineer, but it seems to me, with the size of CCD devices
getting smaller and smaller along with the megapixels going up
and up, indeed it may be possible to restore sight to the affected
area while still having your features look natural.
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conceptual (one eyed) artist lowell darling had an idea for an eye cam when he ran for governor of ca in 1982
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fantastic, you are one brave and forte grrl.
Kudos and a tip of the hat to you!!
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For those concerned with power There exists technology that converts electrolytes in blood into electricity, It is made of 90% Cellulose fibers (paper) and 10% carbon nanotubes, it is essentially paper and thus very thin. that coupled with bluetooth technology, wires will NOT be needed, here is a link to an article released a year ago discussing the innovation
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6945732.stm
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My 10 yr old daughter born with this problem will be really happy if it works out. I wish you all the best for this project. I really wish this dreams comes true.
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It would be awesome to have an eye that has a LED flashlight in it. Imagine how cool it would look to see someone in the dark walking down the street with a beem of light coming out of one eye. then it would shine wherever you turned your head. maybe you could include that in the camera eye too. Maybe you could even do it before the camera eye is finished.
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Isn’t there already a documentary maker from Canada doing this?
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Ummm. What about other women changing at the gym… or others using the bathroom. Isn’t this a little much?
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Wow, I thin this is amazing. I like one of your earliest commenters, lost the use of my right-eye when I was also 7 due to an accident. I also was fortunate to keep the eye, although I do not have use of the Optic Nerve it was severed.
But I think your concept is truly fantastic and innovative. So hey all you geeks get working! you know you are salivating at the opportunity! Garages get humming!
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I hjust read this and then saw your request on KK ‘s blog.
http://www.therawfeed.com/2008/11/man-to-swap-glass-eye-with-wireless.html
Kenn
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me parece muy interesante
lo que quiere realizar
………………….
ami tambien me gustaria pero
pues SUERTE!!!
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Hello!
I was told about the link to your site at foxnews.com. I am a jewelry designer/artist in Cleveland and created an eye for a good friend of mine who has been wearing a prothesis since birth. He has a very outgoing, rockstar personality that inspired the piece. The eye was set with black and chocolate diamonds, sapphires, and for financial reasons, a sprinkling of cubic zirconia’s. It was then coated with a medical grade, clear resin polished smooth. He can actually wear it. I have been very interested in eyewear/prosthesis as they relate to art, and while I am not quite a true engineer, I consider myself a stylist engineer instead. I have a passion for unique people in unique situations, and would love to help if you are interested. Feel free to contact me by email or cell, as I can easily send photos,
Angela Eberhardt
eberhardt.angela@gmail.com
330.806.8813
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My friend sent me a link to your blog. You are my hero :). I lost my eye when I was 2 to retinoblastoma. I too have a prosthetic eye and I’m 21. I just wanted to say how awesome you are, and I really hope you find an engineer to help you. It only opens a whole new world of possiblities for others like you and I.
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Firstly, I am an engineer and physicist -and- I have two eyes that do not work together. The human brain (and/or spirit) is amazing in how the massive amount of vision information is processed and how what might seem contorted to another human may become “normal”.
A more fundamental question, I would pose is do you wish the information from the can to be available to your other eye for later viewing, instantaneous viewing, *** OR *** are you wishing to tie into the optical cortex of your non-functioning eye? Much of what you have described thus far would potentially be available for you functioning eye to view, however, if you wish to proceed down the later road, you will also require the help of a carefully selected group of surgeons at a teaching/research medical institution and there will likely be no guarantees. However, it may be possible to expect funding support.
-Daniel
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Hey There, I have a lot that I would like to talk to you about. I am monocular also, but I have never really used that term since I lost my right eye at age six. I’d really like to send you an Email, but I am having trouble finding out how….
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Try the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Mn. They may be able to assist or know someone that can.
Good Luck !!!
Jacqui MSN
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Have you thought of the implications of such a device?? In the hands of the wrong people? People would be video taping and taking photos of other people with such technology..and no-one would even know. There are alot of perverts out there. Many of these perverts are caught redhanded due to the fact that they have to use cameras that are noticeable..imagine if they have something that no-one can see??? You want to be responcible for that??
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I lost my eye at the age of two,and I have been praying that someone developed something to make my prosthesis look ,and function as real as possible.I am going to pray that you are able to do what you are trying to do.This would help so many of us who know what it feels like to have an eye missing.
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This has similar requirements to what yourlookingfor also.
http://www.biopac.com/Research.asp?Pid=4883
Doesn’t anyone know how to use a search engine?
This one found by “eye camera research” typed in
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WHO THOUGHT WE COULD FLY SOMEDAY.YOU GO GIRL.I LIKE YOUR VISION.GOOD LUCK.
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Going into this a little deep would be utilizing the brains own optic center to process digital imput with the help of an implanted chip to conert input into pulses that the brain can understand and create vision. You could potentially begin using digital camera technology in a pair of glasses to begin the process. This is upgradable to a prosthesis at some point. The technology is available to make these upgrade. The real work and focus is to develope the technology/science of attach electrode to the optic center and the software neede to make the conversion from digital to natural brain stimuli. All this science is currently avaiable.
I am much less ambitious to tackle such a project. But with funding and “focus” this is very do-able. I hope this helps a little conceptually! Good luck with it!
Barry
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I lost my right eye in Iraq and I think it is awesome what you are doing! You go girl!!!! I hope it all works out for you. It is an awesome way to pave the way in technology.
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talk about turning adversity into strength. i do hope you succeed. perhaps looking to companies that make products geared to the security field might turn up something small enough. i had the idea for a camera for an eye, but never took it anywhere. good luck.
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i meant to say i had an idea for a camera eye, not the idea. don’t wish to steal anyone’s thunder. but what about a prosthetic arm that contains a gun, or an explosive charge? are these also too over the top? i think we are at the edge of a revolution in human expansion, based on technology. like all life forms, we keep evolving or we die out. god gave us intelligence for a reason, or no reason. only you decide.
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It is an interestting concept. I’m positive there have been numurous concept ideas similar to this. including replacing the eyes in manequins with a camera for security purposes. However, this would still be a “false eye,” from what you are asking for and would not truely replace what you have lost. It would be great if they could interface the camera to the optical nerve and actually restore sight. I know this is a long way off but I also am aware of several people with maculur degeneration that could use such a device.
In your case, you should also be concerned with privacy. You would have to be fully aware of when the camera is turned on and when it is off. Otherwise some images you do not want others to see could be hacked or be available to others without your knowledge. good luck.
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I think this great being injured the night before my 21 birthday was tramatic enough but now 20 years later ramifications still exist, as i opted to keep my eye but with no sight because of severe retina damage. the old wondering eye is really a draw back. keep us informed. jeff
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Just a thought, seems like the biggest problem is a power supply. I have heard of late of a battery that is charged by, don’t freak out, urine. I am not suggesting that, however, the tear duct in the eye produces salt water, seems like there should be a way for this to be utilized so there is no need for an exterior power source, if at the very least a few drops a saline solution should be able to reactivate the power source.
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Need to brighten up the page a bit hard to read on Black Background , what your doing can change a lot of peoples lives if profected and I have always felt someone would do this and it would work …I see no reason why it can not work for that matter just has to be worked out . God Bless and Good Luck ..keep the faith .
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My thirteen year-old one-eyed son just read some of your blog, and he is delighted. He was born three months early, and retinopathy detached his left retina. Laser surgery saved his right. His left eye stopped growing at about age four, so he got a real kick out of watching your prosthesis dance, too. He would rather stem-cell research grew him a new eye, but he’s keen on the bionic idea, too (but ONLY if it comes with zoom, he says). We’re always looking for news on the subject, so if we come across anything useful, we’ll share it with you. As a filmmaker, I love the idea of true P.O.V. shooting. Thanks for making my kid’s day, Tanya. You rock.
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Well now this is nothing new. I am a 36 year old woman whom lost her eye also to retinoblastoma. Most of the doctors that I have seen over the years have also talked about this kind of thing happening. ( Thank you Bionic Woman!) But here is my thoughts that I have had over the years. First off, what good will come of having a recording device that you have to watch later? Shouldn’t it connect to the brain so you can see things happening as they happen? Also, having an implant behind they prosthesis gives more room to work. Couldn’t the power supply and such be done in that much room that could then be formed to fit like the implant? Now my second implant is made of coral from the sea so it would absorb the tissues within the socket. But there are issues here as well. The implants due tend to push outwards that cause the need for another implant to be done. Could this be stopped? I have had three prosthesis made in my 36 years due to the implant moving. Each time they get smaller and dont fit as well as the implant is not leaving much room. Rub the eye and it falls out! This is horrible to have happen, especially in front of my young children! Now don’t get me wrong, I would love to see the “other side of my world.” But at what cost? For years I was tortured by school mates and then I came to grips with what I had, a permanent tool for jokes. I have lots of fun with it and have made many friends. I am always the first with an eye joke but I would love to see my children and their activities from every angle without having to watch a recording later. Having been without my eye since 18 months of age maybe I am just more comfortable with what I have and appreciate the fact that at least I can see out my other eye. I do have an identical twin that did not have the disease but has poor vision. I want to see what she does but better. My good eye is 20-20. What more can we expect? I commend you on your efforts and hope that you accomplish this goal. More power to you! I would love to see one day that the option is out there, just in case my grandchildren have the same issue. God Bless you in your endeavors and may they not fall into the wrong hands for violence!
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Hi, Tanya. I am not an engineer but I have a daughter who is in her mid-40’s. She lost an eye when she was 18 months old due to retinablastoma. She is a single mom of a nine-year old son and now she has developed numerous problems in her remaining eye due to damage from radiation treatments. She, obviously, has had a prosthetic eye since she was a baby. If you are successful and if any company you connect with needs another “test” subject, please consider her. Thanks for taking the time to replly. I hope that you find success. Rosemarie Keegan
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I recently lost an eye due to a melanoma. I am also currently undergoing radiation and worry about my good eye. I have always maintained that someday we will have a prosthetic eye that can “see’, but I never thought it would be in my lifetime. (I am 60). If this gets developed, it would be fantastic, remarkable, and every other adjective I can think of. Go for it. I will continue to look at this website for updates and THANKS so much for working on this.
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I don’t have a glass eye yet, but it’s going to be happening down the line, since my cornea is degenerating due to tubes that are in my eye … it’s a long story. Anyway, it’s awesome to see this kind of thing being put together. I don’t know how long my real eye will last, but it’s good to know there will probably be options in a few years which will make this whole process a little more… fun.
Losing an eye can’t really be fun, but it can be ‘more’ fun.
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I think its a great idea and having lost my right eye when I was 15yrs old now 38, I would like to see some advancement with this field. Most of the technology is dated and have yet to see any major advances in the last 23yrs. For me, I have long accepted the fact that I will never regain sight again in that eye due to the challenges with the optic nerve. However, I would be much interested with any advancements you come across that allows an artificial eye to respond to different dilations from various light settings. I’m not an engineer, but would guess the technology exist and just needs to be concepted and funded and I’m willing to do both. Just let me know if there’s interest. Thank you for all your work and drawing attention to the group of us that live with the challenges of a prosthetic eye each and every day.
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I too have a young child who lost his eye to a car accident among other things. When they took his eye (the eyeball was cut from top to bottom causing the lense to pop out). I won’t give up hope that this can be corrected someday. I would love to converse with you concerning your findings. I had inquired about an actual transplant. I wanted to give him mine but there was too much risk to me to do this. Feedback welcome.
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Hi!
I would very much like to have a short interview.. Over the phone maybe? I work for a TV broadcast company in Korea. I sent you an email a couple days back. If you’re interested plz let me know!
Thanks and good luck! 😉
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Thank for make me read a good article
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if you’ve not already seen this http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5iIkO-4ZpLv4hgRx4rAmZxWUheAKQ it’s about a man in Canada who plans to set a digital camera in where his prosthetic eye is now.
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here is his personal blog: Rob Spence: http://eyeborg.blogspot.com/
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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4411591.stm
The BBC has an article about a technology that might restore sight in some cases. It’s not what you were after, but surely some of the research is interoperable.
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http://www.sparkfun.com/
– – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – -CMOS Camera – 640×480
sku: SEN-08667
Description: The TCM8230MD is a high quality, very small 640×480 CMOS camera from Toshiba with the standard data+I2C interface. The nice thing is that we have a complete datasheet on this camera along with a good supplier.
Features:
Small size
2.8V Supply
30fps
640×480 pixels
RGB color filter
1/6 inch optics included
YUV or RGB output
Auto shutter control (AES)
Auto gain control (AGC)
Auto white balance (AWB)
Dimensions: 6x6x4.5mm
– – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – –
2.4GHz Transceiver IC – nRF2401A
sku: COM-00300
Description: Nordic Semiconductor nRF2401A. Transceiver chip operating in the 2.4GHz band. This is a truly spectacular chip with all sorts of possibilities.
New silicon revision – not only less expensive, but more sensitive (-93dBm)
Software selectable channel from 2400MHz to 2525MHz (125 Selectable channels)
Minimum number of external components
Lots of application notes and support on Nordic Semiconductor Website
Works very well with the 16MHz SMD Crystal
– – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – –
Crystal SMD 16MHz
sku: COM-00094
Description: These are very small surface mount quartz crystals used where size is a concern. Ideal for use with the nRF2401 ICs.
Features:
Small 5×3.2mm footprint
Operating temperature: -40-85C
Frequency Tolerance: +/- 20ppm
12pF load capacitance
– – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – –
2.4GHz Ceramic Chip Antenna White
sku: WRL-09025
Description: This is a monolithic SMD 2.4GHz antenna. Works well for any 2.4GHz application, including WLAN, Home RF, and Bluetooth.
Features:
2.4-2.5GHz range
3.0dBi Peak Gain
50Ohm impedance
Dimensions: 9.5 x 2.0 mm
– – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – -OR this one
– – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – –
2.4GHz Ceramic Chip Antenna
sku: WRL-00144
Description: 2.4GHz ceramic chip antennas. Very small antennas that work nicely with the Nordic ICs. Don’t expect these little guys to perform as well as their ~2″ rubber duck counter parts, but then again, these will squeeze onto any PCB layout.
Dimensions: 2.2×6.5mm
– – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – – — – – -miniature battery
http://www.anl.gov/Media_Center/Frontiers/2004/d2ee1.html
Now someone clever only has to construct this Eye-Cam
device. and a Receiver connect to Archos with some useful software???:)
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thank you very much
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Pingback: OTK47™ CONCEPTS » Blog Archive » Cyborg culture
I just wanted to drop a line and let you know I found your article fascinating.
Losing your eye has to be tough, but few have the foresight to think that they may as well replace it with something functional. I commend you there.
Your search for a way to make this happen made me think and inspired me to write an article on my own website about your quest and I even put together a solution that may or may not have been posed before.
Please feel free to read the article. I hope my idea is useful to you.
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nice article.. http://cynthiabs.blogspot.com/
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“Restoring Eyesight to the Blind by Partially-Invasive, Optical Nerve-Video Camera Interaction: Coupling Imaging from a Video Camera (Implanted inside Eyeball) with an Under-the-scalp Chip.” Achieving Sustitute Vision by direct Optical Nerve stimulation or by direct lateral geniculate nucleus stimulation or by direct primary visual cortex (V1) stimulation. Using implanted video camera imaging-chip interaction for replicating and thus restoring the vision process. Key words: Cybersenses, Artificial vision, Vision substitution, Synthetic vision technologies.
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finally, thanks for this reference…
Thank’s very much.
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Hey my name is cody and i lost my left eye in an accident in april ’08. I had a crappy 5 months after that, I recovered enuf to play football for my high school in the fall, if this works out for you i’d love to be the second one with the camera, i think it would be awsome to be able to film some of the things i see the way i would see it, not off of some helmet camera.
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Hello webmaster
I would like to share with you a link to your site
write me here preonrelt@mail.ru
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My company manufactures custom lenses. Let me know if we can help.
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Pingback: CALL FOR ENGINEERS « Eye, Tanya | LenseArea.Com
Have you contacted the Foundation for the Blind to perhaps collaborate with the prosthetic idea that actually helps the blind or people close to blindness?
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There are quite a few applications here that could come out of this. I too have a prosthetic eye, however I lost my eye over 38 years ago to cancer. I have often wanted the ability to have a way to keep it heated so that the prosthetic would not freeze to my socket in the winters in Canada. I would often have to put an extra covering over it to keep it warm or it would freeze in my head. Very painful. Though a camera would be cool, I always thought a squirting device would be fun so that I could wink and squirt someone! What about ball bearings so that it swivels and doesn’t look so glaring and tracks better.
Good luck on your endeavor, I’d be very interested on what you come up with.
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Oi Tanya espero q vc consiga exito em seu projeto, pois também tenho interesse em usar uma camera no lugar da protese. Minha vida mudaria novamente.
Beijos
Alana – Bahia – Brasil
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Nice post.
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very intresting
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Hey, Tanya. I have skimmed through and didn’t find any mention of Rob Spence on here. I’m sure you probably know of him, but just in case, I would recommend contacting him. He is doing the same thing and is pretty close to having a working one. He is working with Steve Mann (whom someone else mentioned.) Practically every news mention of either of you has a link to the other as a related article so you are probably already on this, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Rob is also an artist and very approachable person. You two would at the very least have a good conversation. Check him out at eyeborgblog.com.
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I dont understand the advantage of a camera over in the artifical side.It seems to me a pair of glasses fitted with a camera in the missing side would allow for an external power source ,collecting data to view out of an on screen display in the working eye through the glasses thus giving you a wider degree of vision .I beleive seeing from both planes right and left on your face would be able to be adapted to easily by one eye.
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Pingback: Could a San Franciscan Artists lost eye instigate the next disruptive technology? « Luigicappel’s Weblog
thanks
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bu bwda fff geldei
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Пока прочитал только эту одну запись, если и все остальное также интересно, то автору респект 🙂
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Pingback: Cyborg culture « otk47
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Pingback: Engineering Students at Work » Blog Archive » One-eyed woman hopes engineers can design her eye cam
Have you considered the medical implications of this idea? You’re talking about putting this into your skull. With all the concern over magnetic fields and the brain just from cell phones, you’re talking about introducing magnetic fields INTO your brain, above and behind this device. I’m neither a doctor nor an engineer, but even if this is doable – and I seriously doubt it is using off-the-shelf components, and it IS used, I see this ending badly.
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Pingback: Bionic Eye Wanted | ElectricSpectre
If you have enough money (just a few millions of dollars/euros), your optic nerve intact and big balls to take all the implications, I can put you the eyeball you want with a few extras, all this as an implant, not as a prostetic scleral shell.
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From a cursory examination of this item: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.17572 I think it quite feasable that the actual circuit could be folded and condensed to at least fit into the required space and shape. Not quite 720p HD, but does record about an hours worth of full color and amazingly clear slow scan video (and audio) which it stores for later download via any USB port. Price is cheap enough to fit even the most frugal prototyping budget.
Just a thought.
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Автор, а у вас никто статьи не ворует с сайта? А то у меня заколебали уже – копируют и копируют. И самое главное, что даже ссылку никто не удосужится поставить.
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Бедность учит, а счастье портит. 🙂
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Pingback: Lady Looking For Eye-Cam To Replace Her Artificial Eye Ball | Funky Downtown
Very interesting idea.
I did some engineering on hardware+software projects in my “youth” but I won’t be of any help here, every important thing has been said, concerning radio frequency emitting, power comsumption and so on.
But things are evolving. as stated in one of the posts above, Rob Spence went far in an equivalent project, (http://www.iamkosta.org/blogit/?p=751) and I didn’t get where he got in spring 2010.
Wish things keep on growing the right way.
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Pingback: Cyborgs « Bladecyberpunk's Blog
Автор, а у вас никто статьи не ворует с сайта? А то у меня заколебали уже – копируют и копируют. И самое главное, что даже ссылку никто не удосужится поставить.
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Thanks for this article ı liked it
kurtlar vadisi pusu son bolum
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OMG! I just lost my eye and you read my mind… I so want a super cool spy camera – does it exist yet?
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I’ll let you know! Are you an illustrator / artist? I checked out your blog – I like your work! ~tv
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Thanks you good blog
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The only camera I could find that appears to be small enough is nowhere near the resolution you are currently wishing for, but it may be the starting point you need. It has the potential for a very exciting prototype.
1/18″ Color CMOS Camera
Pixel :320×240( NTSC )
240 TV Lines
0.77mm/F3.0
2Lux / F1.2
DC 2.5 V
dimensions : (diameter) 3.5mm x 12.5mm
The video link below is a good illustration of the size and shape. The configuration shown has the electronics aligned axially (perfect for inserting in the shaft of a ball point pen and having the lens look out the end.) The lens module connection on the end would have to be ‘bent’ to align its field of view perpendicular to the electronics module. Another current shortcoming is the lack of on-board storage. The wires visible in the video are the power and video-out lines (2.5V, Ground, and video signal line.) These would have to be connected to some sort of storage or transmit device external to the artificial eye.
Shortcomings of this option:
1. Low resolution
2. Scleral shell would have to be connected to a transmitting or recording device outside of the eyelids
3.User would have to tolerate three wires coming out from under eyelids and running around face to an external device.
Strong points of this option:
1.Viable starting point
2.Minimal modification to off-the-shelf technology required.
3.Can be easily embedded in scleral shell material during molding process.
4.Off-the-shelf record/transmit hardware can be easily embedded in eyeglasses, sunglasses, hat etc.
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send me an email – i’d love to chat with you more! tanya@eyetanya.com
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Leuke site!. Er zijn nog weinig goede sites over dit onderwerp te vinden.
Ben blij met jullie post!
Ik kan helaas geen bookmark aanmaken naar tanyavlach.wordpress.com in Firefox. 😦 Weten jullie hoe dit komt?
Groetjes Barbara
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Hey all if you like tech and techtrance then checkout my set on:
Write me a remark!
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future is hear,what about implementing it on people who are blind
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text
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Hi Tanya, perhaps this recent research / state-of-the-art is interesting for you?
http://forum.complexevents.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=261#p1203
Best
Rainer
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Great idea, but I’m still waiting for a reply to my email about joining the team. I’m looking to do similar work and based in the UK. Please contact me directly if your in the UK and would like to chat.
Adrian
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Hello! kefafag interesting kefafag site! I’m really like it! Very, very kefafag good!
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Hi my name is Taryn Valentino I’m 15 and lost my left eye to cancer when I was 2 years old. I just want to say what you are doing is AMAZING I mean you would be changing the lives of so many people. If I ever got to experience seeing out of both my eyes it would be life changing. There are so many things I’m restricted to doing because of my eye and I just want thank you for opening peoples eyes(or eye) to all these possibilities.
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Awesome! All the best tanya
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Whatever genuinely motivated u to write “CALL FOR ENGINEERS | Eye, Tanya”?
I personallyhonestly enjoyed the post! Thanks for the post ,Carmon
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Great information. Lucky me I recently found your blog by chance (stumbleupon). I have book marked it for later!
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