Spy Review

In reality, an eye sees an image and the brain translates it into the object or whatever it is that you are viewing. A camera, too, functions in ways similar to the eye, except that it permanently records the view, whether it is a still photo or a video recording.

Rob Spence, a Canadian filmmaker, who lost his vision in one eye at a young age and now wears an artificial eye, is going ahead with plans to put a video camera into that eye. This has still not been designed and there are many hurdles in the way of the engineers who are working on making him a part cyborg.

An ocularist, Philip Bowen, is working with Spence to make a digital eye which can comfortably fit into the eye socket and be able to film. Yonggang Huang, a professor in the departments of civil and mechanical engineering at Northwestern University, along with John Rogers, University of Illinois professor, has developed micro-sensors for making eye-shaped cameras. Their research will play a large part in developing this eye-camera for Spence.

Bowen is making the eye of polymethyl-methacrylate, in two pieces which will shut with the camera in it. It has to be water-proof as well. It will work via a transmitter which will also be placed inside the artificial eye. In order to boost the signal, Spence may have to wear another transmitter in his belt. He will also have to carry a back-pack which will have a hard-drive to capture and upload the recordings.

Apart from the advanced technology involved there is also the issue of privacy. Spence thinks even though people are seemingly under endless surveillance, they are not going to be comfortable being actually and knowingly filmed. If this works, perhaps it will be the ultimate spy gadget (for people who have vision only in one eye, of course).