The future of 3D mapping

Google has been one of the leading innovators of 3D mapping with Google Earth and Google Maps. This month, it was confirmed that Apple acquired an advanced 3D mapping display company, C3 Technology, to give Apple an advantage against Google Maps.

C3 Technology uses technology developed by the Swedish military to develop 3D mapping solutions for navigation and geographic information systems. Will this new technology be the end of Google Maps in Apple products?

      C3 Technology 3D mapping video

Can Mobile Phones Correct Vision?

The members of MIT Media-Lab are improving people’s eyesight by using mobile phones.  The MIT Media-Lab created a device name NETRA (Near-Eye Tool for Refractive Assessment) that can be used to provide routine refractive eye exams. This new device takes advantage of the high resolution of today’s mobile phones and special software for the phone to enable the measurement of the eye’s focus ability.

The cost to develop this device is currently $1 to $2 and the software is free. The goal for the MIT Media-Lab is to provide the NETRA to the millions of people in developing countries that currently do not have access to the facilities where they can get their vision checked.

Current equipment used to measure the eye's focus ability                     

                                                                                       

 New device to measure the eye's focus ability

Your Tax Dollars at Work!

Since 2001, the National Eye Institute has donated more than $26 million dollars to Second Sight Medical Products for the development of “The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System”.

On August 2011, Second Sight Medical Products was awarded the patent for “The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System”. This device is the world’s only approved artificial retina intended to restore limited sight to the blind.

The Argus II is composed of a pair of sunglasses with a built-in micro camera, and a processing unit that converts images from the camera into electrical impulses that are transmitted wirelessly to a 60 electrode grid implanted in the eye. The company is already planning on a future upgrade to the Argus II system that will provide the user with higher image resolutions. Users of the Argus II testify that using the Argus II has increased their mobility and safety.