Forecast#1: Active Contact Lenses

ACTIVE CONTACT LENSES

TENLEY STEINKE

Sources: 

1. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/16/business/international/novartis-joins-with-google-to-develop-contact-lens-to-monitor-blood-sugar.html?_r=0

2. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/google-contact-lens-may-have-integrated-camera-report-says/

B. 

In 2014, Google announced a new partnership with Novartis (a drug company) to potentially develop a contact lens for diabetics. Using miniature sensors and a radio antenna thinner than a piece of human hair, this smart contact would monitor the user's blood sugar levels. The information obtained from these sensors could then be transmitted onto some sort of mobile device. 

Being a Type 1 Diabetic, this would be a dramatic advance in the health industry because it would relieve the typical diabetic from poking themselves five times a day. This smart lens would also track and provide a lot tighter control of blood sugars. 

After doing further research into this potential mechanism, I found rumors about other capabilities being added to this contact lens. If the glucose monitoring system goes accordingly, a small sort of camera may be added. This camera would would process the mage data to detect light, colors, faces, motion and any other other information that could be calculated through one or more images. It is noted that the smart lens could even contain two or more cameras. 

Photography being one of my biggest passions, this was extremely interesting to me because I have always dreamt of a product that would be able to capture any moment in time, directly through my eyes.

C. 

1. On the global aspect, this would be the start of extreme medical advances and could help to control blood glucose levels in diabetics. Though it is nothing close to a cure, companies and people who suffer with diabetes are always looking for new areas of growth-anything to maintain an easier, healthier lifestyle. The picture aspect of the lens could perhaps take over the camera industry and could benefit society in several aspects: safety, jobs, crime, and leisure alone. Nationally, this impact would be close to the same.

Personally, this smart lens could potentially save my body and life in the long run. A lot of times, I simply forget to test my blood sugar. Poking my fingers and my arm to draw blood five times a day can be exhausting.

2. Though reports came out about this monitoring lens being created for 2019, I think this lens will take ten or more years to even become successfully made. This idea has come to light in the past, but has never worked. The image capturing aspect would take several more years to create-maybe even thirty.

3. The greatest way to create a positive future with this lens is to start by first nailing the basics. Because a camera may be unnecessary  I think the first and main priority is to successfully create the glucose monitor. Health advances are much more crucial than any toy or modified camera that already exists.

4. Though a photographic contact lens would send the camera industry booming, I think there would be a negative impact on the future if the camera was successfully created before the glucose monitoring lens. Because the original goal was to create a mechanism for diabetics and bettering their health, I think putting as much effort possible into helping millions of lives, rather than solely enhancing entertainment is much more important.

5. Super Tech, Human/Social Tech.

Questions:

1. How much will this smart lens cost to make?

2. How much money would it be sold for?

3. Will this lens be combined with a lens for seeing capabilities?

4. How will the glucose information be transmitted to other devices?

5. How will the glucose numbers be tracked (by a blink of an eye, every given number of       minutes, etc)?

6. Will the user have to wear a contact in both eyes, or just one?