iEye, Cap’n!
What better day to write about an invention called the iEye than on National Talk Like a Pirate Day?!
Faithful Macenstein reader Tom Miller sent us a link to his entry into the NASA Tech Briefs “Create the Future” contest which we thought was pretty cool. Tom’s idea (patent pending) is an add-on for the iPod/iPhone/iPod touch (basically anything with an “i” in the front of it) that would add high-quality still and video optics to any of Apple’s current media players. The idea here being the device would allow for using any of Apple’s media players as both a hard disk-based video/still camera, as well as a video conferencing tool. The camera/microphone would connect to the i-devices via the dock connector, and actually don’t look ridiculously bulky or inconceivable. (Tom gets extra credit for using SketchUp to create his drawings).
From the iEye’s abstract:
A byproduct of this planned obsolescence are the out of date Personal Media Players, what to do with the old units? The energy and resources to produce these units and ship them around the world is substantial as well is the expense to the end user. Also of a concern are the many dangerous materials that go into these complicated electronic devices that may end up in a landfill. This entry provides a means to repurpose and/or add functionality to existing Personal Media Players.
Now, while Tom’s invention looks perfectly cromulent (you Simpsons fans will know what I am talking about) it is important to note that Tom is just an idea man here, he hasn’t actually built the darn thing. I happen to have a kick-ass drawing of a flying car that connects to the iPhone as well that I would like to get made. Still, if you are an investor looking to sink money into a pretty cool device compatible with an installed base of over 100 million units, drop Tom an e-mail so he can tell you where to send that bag of money with the dollar sign on it.