RetinaReaders™
I remember being a senior in high school when I first heard about wearable technology and just thought it was so ridiculous, like something I’d seen out of a cheesy sci-fi movie like Back to the Future. It started with the smartwatch, fitbit, and Google glass. Now I can’t even imagine my life without wearable technology. With the state of today’s politics, society, and climate, I must and can constantly be aware of my surroundings even if it’s something just as simple as the levels of my allergies.
Due to my awful history with allergy-related migraines and illness, my partner bought me an electronic eyelid cover that releases allergy medication when it detects an irritation in the air. I’ve been using the lenses for about a year now and have enjoyed them as a means for medical treatment and warding off unwanted symptoms. In recent months, the lenses have become increasingly popular as the global climate shifts and the pollution has now periodically become too irritable to bear in some areas. The air quality in the city has dramatically worsened as the seasons change from summer to fall or winter to spring.
They’re not like an implant that you’d see in some goofy science fiction movie from the 80s or early 2000s, but a type of contact lens that will release the medication necessary. Well, that’s what they were intended for initially. Now the RetinaReader™ is used for a multitude of things. I can do practically anything with them as they are hooked up with my car, television, computer, ear piece, smartwatch, household appliances, and practically any piece of technology that I use regularly. For example, I’ll tell you about a normal day of mine while having the RetinaReader™ in. At eight o’clock in the morning my room alarm wakes me by gently turning on the lights and slowly playing music which becomes louder and louder. I head to the bathroom where I put in my lenses and strap on my smartwatch that connects with the lenses. While showering and getting myself ready for the day ahead, my lenses show me any news that may be pertinent to me whether it be something happening in the area, in my field of work, or just something I’d find interesting. With my smartwatch or by voice activation, I skip through the news article notifications and turn to my weather forecast, schedule for the day, or look at social media to see what I may have missed while asleep. My partner blames our high water bill on my preference to watch and update while in the shower, but it’s become a part of my daily routine!
Next, I select an outfit in accordance with the weather forecast’s clothing suggestions for the day. While dressing, I voice automate for music to be played throughout the house, maybe some oldies like Michael Bublé, and ask for a cup of coffee to be made with 2% milk. With my lenses in, I play back through previous memories in order to review the meeting I had the day before with colleagues of mine. I have such a poor memory that the MemStorage™ of my lenses is such a lifesaver for work. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without them. The RetinaReaders™ can do great tasks like remember my former experiences, translate script in real time, and instantly alert me and my loved ones of any heart problems or drops in blood pressure, but they can also do simple yet useful tasks like remind me to take out the trash, send a birthday message to a coworker, take photos in real time, close my garage if I have forgotten, or even turn down the temperature at home. It’s crazy now to think what my life was like before having the lenses because they connect all of the devices that I use on a daily basis. These lenses are the central nervous system of my life. Anyway, I really think you should let me get you a pair, mom. I mean, dad likes them as far as I can tell and he never wore contacts a day in his life! Let me just get you a set, you can try them out one at a time, and I can walk you through the whole thing. I promise that they are super easy to use, even some of the kids I used to nanny back in the day have been showing me new tricks with them! Mom, I told you! They’re nothing like a damn episode of The Twilight Zone!
