Will You Close Your Eyes When the World is Augmented at Your Blink?

Picture a world where dragons sail through the sky, and you can hold a galaxy in the palm of your hand. Far from a distant dream or a plot from a sci-fi movie, it's the awe-inspiring potential of two disruptive technologies – Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) – that are redefining the way we perceive our surroundings.

Imagine yourself engrossed in a video game. Every character, every landscape, every action belongs to a realm different from ours, isn't it? That's the concept behind Virtual Reality (VR). Donning a VR headset is akin to stepping into that alternate universe, a universe distinctly separate from ours.

Now, recall any sci-fi flick where characters interact with information suspended mid-air. They're still grounded in their reality, but additional elements are introduced. That's the magic of Augmented Reality (AR). With AR, we not only observe our world, but we're also privy to additional, computer-generated elements blended seamlessly into it. It's as if our everyday reality dons a captivating cloak of magic.

My reflections on the metaverse and its struggle to gain momentum led me to a conclusion. It seems we endeavored for widespread adoption before addressing the device issue. As Elon Musk succinctly put it, nobody is keen on mounting a screen on their face. It's physically uncomfortable. We need a device that is lightweight, compact, and non-intrusive, facilitating longer engagements with the virtual world.

After some contemplation, an apparent solution emerged – integrate the AR system directly into our eyes using a contact lens. Initially, it felt like an idea that was too obvious, something that should have already been realized. A little research led me to Mojo Vision, a pioneering company based in California, that aims to develop AR-enabled smart contact lenses and has already initiated the first human trials of its technology.

The offering is ground-breaking – it delivers augmented reality right to our eyes. Text or video augmentations can be added to the world as we see it. We could watch videos with our eyes closed, immersing us in the virtual world.

Yet, I perceive this approach as slightly intrusive, with the lens placed directly in our eyes, the complexity, and the potential discomfort. Additionally, the possibility of health hazards from video augmentation within our eyes and carrying an internal device needs to be considered. It's a step towards being more of a cyborg than we currently are!

The advent of AR contact lenses is set to be a game-changer. It brings to mind another ambitious attempt at immersive technology - Google Glass. Despite its initial failure, I firmly believe that such a device, small, compact, and comfortable, holds immense potential in changing the world through AR and VR. With technology continuously advancing, it seems the future may hold another chance for devices like these.

Soon, closing our eyelids might not create a barrier to the external world but instead facilitate the operation of the virtual world within us. With eyes closed, it could potentially alter the entire notion of 'closing our eyes' forever!

This fusion of human vision and AI will make us even more cyborg than we already are. The combination of Augmented Reality and Generative AI will produce the world's most powerful technological advances.