Sunglasses are useful for a number of reasons. They allow us to see objects in bright light, protect our eyes from harmful ultraviolet rays and can even be a cool fashion accessory. But what if sunglasses could help you see how people are feeling or thinking? Sounds like the basis of a science fiction novel, but recently the scientists at the 2AI Laboratory in Boise, Idaho have created sunglasses which they claim can help medical professionals detect subtle changes in blood oxygen levels just below the skin. The O2Amp Glasses are designed to enhance the human eye's natural ability to see changes in skin color to help detect trauma injuries, locate veins or pick up on signals to help determine a patient's general state of health.
While it may sound a bit futuristic, the science behind the O2Amp sunglasses has been around for years. New York based neuroscientist and O2Amp co-creator Mark Changizi saw the potential for a human application for the technology after studying the biology of color vision in primates. "You can change facial signals, but these colors on your face and your rump are fundamental signals," he explains. "There are physiological underpinnings that make it an honest signal." Changizi says that humans have always had the ability to detect emotion through skin color. For example, it is easy to detect anger or embarrassment through a red hue on the cheeks and neck, or nausea by seeing a slightly green tinge of color on the face. What the O2Amp sunglasses do, according to its developers, is enhance our ability to detect skin color changes by applying special filters that amplify blood oxygen levels under the skin.
Although researchers at the 2AI Laboratory can see a number of applications for this technology in areas such as law enforcement, dating and even gambling, their main focus is currently in the medical field. The three most useful filters include a vein-detector that reveals vasculature under the skin by making it "glow" when the glasses are worn. This can have a variety of applications from surgery to a simple blood draw. Secondly, a trauma-detector can help medical professionals locate where concentrations of hemoglobin are under the skin simply by looking at the patient. The third filter combines features of the first two and can give a general perception of the health of the patient by retaining both the ability to detect changes in amount of oxygen in hemoglobin as well as areas of high hemoglobin concentration.
According to officials at 2AI, the O2Amp sunglasses are currently being tested at two hospitals and they are in the process of getting more of the product into the hands of medical distributors. This may be good news for doctors and health care workers, but perhaps not so much for those who profit by hiding their true emotions such as poker players or gamblers. Whatever the future holds for this product, it is certain to generate discussion and interest from those in the healthcare field and beyond.
Rachel Huber,
and
Hulet Smith, OT
