Take one filmmaker (semi-eyeless), an avionics systems engineer, a whizz kid ocularist and what have you got? Possibly the weirdest, craziest, and certainly most unique technology engineering projects ever devised.

The Eyeborg Project, Sneak has just discovered, was created when Canadian filmmaker Rob Spence decided he would like to film his documentaries from a perspective never seen before. So he decided to have a tiny video camera and transmitter embedded into a prosthetic eye. The technology set up to make this a reality includes lithium button cell batteries, a 1.5mm camera, a tiny RF transmitter and an even tinier image sensor "so small you could lose it in a sneeze".

It's bizarrely brilliant, and makes Sneak a little squeamish at the very thought. "We're waiting for the miniature fuel cell guys to get their technology out of the lab," wrote a recent posting on the Eyeborg blog. "Just add water and you have instant power. We'll connect a tube to Rob's tear duct and make him cry every day or so to keep his eye powered!"

Spence is hoping the technology will enable him to complete his current film project, which is loosely based, appropriately enough, around the theme of surveillance. "We are all moderately to severely crazy - with wild ideas, a knack for getting things done, and a level of enthusiasm that could certainly be mistaken for obsession," says a message on the project's site. Yup, severely crazy is about right, Sneak reckons. But if you've only got one eye, you might as well put something useful in there. Beats a pencil sharpener or a bottle opener I suppose.

06 Mar 2009