eyeborg
Latest
Eyeborg filmmaker fires up eye-cam to document cutting edge prosthetics (video)
In late 2008 filmmaker Rob Spence, caught our attention when he announced his plan to jam a video camera in his skull to replace an eye he lost to an unfortunate accident. Instead of connecting the camera to his brain, Spence sought to become a so-called "lifecaster," recording the feed on an external device. Now his bionic eye is up and running, and he's even partnered with a little company called Square Enix to create a documentary about state-of-the-art prosthetics and cybernetics. The short film, embedded after the break, was commissioned to celebrate the launch of Deus Ex: Human Revolution. But, this isn't just some over-long commercial for a game, it's a serious exploration of cutting-edge leg, arm, and eye replacement technology. Check it out below, but be warned -- there are a few images that might not sit well with weaker stomachs.
The Eyeborg Documentary compares real life augments with Deus Ex biotech
Eidos Montreal commissioned a cyborg to document real-world advancements in biotechnology that could serve as precursors to the gadgets used in Deus Ex: Human Revolution, titled The Eyeborg Documentary. Why "Eyeborg," you ask? Filmmaker Rob Spence has a prosthetic eye -- but this isn't your grandma's prosthesis. Spence's is a wireless camera that transmits footage to a receiver, with no connection to his optic nerve, not to mention it looks pretty cool when he reveals it from under his eye patch. Spence documents the height of artificial-limb and augmented-reality advancement, following a man with a computer chip behind his retina, a health-bar-encoded firefighting helmet, two men's bionic arms and three bionic legs, all in a very viewable 12-minute timeframe. We may not have machines guns in our forearms yet, but this stuff is still spectacular.
Filmmaker hopes to replace false eye with webcam, become a superhero
There are quite a few eerie similarities between Rob Spence and Tanya Vlach. For starters, they're both artists, and secondly, they both currently have one prosthetic eye. The real kicker? Each of 'em wants a camera stuck in there instead. In what we can only hope is (or isn't?) a freakishly growing trend, Mr. Spence has reportedly sought consultation from the University of Toronto's Steve Mann, a self-proclaimed expert in the field of wearable computing and cyborgs. Essentially, Rob is hoping to install a webcam in his eye socket in order to become a so-called "lifecaster." The camera wouldn't actually be wired to his brain, thus his level of vision would remain subpar, but it would make him a living science experiment that would surely prove insightful to an array of others. As of now, it sounds like the road to installation is long, but we get the impression that this guy isn't apt to give up until the proverbial fat lady begins to bellow.
