Laser vision

You'll have to feel totally comfortable with beaming lasers into your eyes to want to try this out, but a company called Microvision has come out with the Nomad Expert Technician System, which uses a wireless computer and a sort of monocle to project a virtual image by beaming lasers directly into the retina.

Microvision says they're perfectly safe (they better hope so!), and the US Army is already using them in Iraq to give soldiers a

heads-up display with a view of the entire battlefield. Next up, they're being tested by surgeons, who would actually be able to see inside of their patients or keep taps on vital data like heart rate and blood pressure during surgery, and Honda is trying it out with its auto mechanics, who would be able to view car diagnostic and repair information while working. Right now the quality of the images is pretty low, but you know that they'll eventually get it right and it'll be full-color, fully immersive virtual reality for everyone. Or at least everyone who can afford it — right now the Nomad Expert Technician System costs four grand.