DN editor-in-chief John Dodge put his camcorder on steroids at the Detroit Auto Show’s press preview and nailed the bigwigs and the hot new autos. Browse through the video footage below for a look inside the 2008 NAIAS.
Visit our 2008 North American International Auto Show coverage page for stories and photos from the show!

DETROIT AUTO SHOW VIDEO COVERAGE:


GM chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner talks about increasing emphasis in V-6 engines over V-8s. Watch Now



A video tour of Cadillac's new hydrogen plug-in concept car, the Provoq Watch Now



An exclusive interview with Mercedes' CEO Dieter Zetsche, aka Dr. Z, on the fuel economy of the new compact GLK SUV Watch Now


An exclusive with Ford's Chief Creative Officer and GVP J Mays on the company’s new world car for “Millenials,” the Verve Euro hatchback Watch Now


A video tour of the VerveWatch Now



An exclusive with Volvo's top scientist Ichiro Sugioka on Volvo's plug-in hybrid concept and what the Volvo brand stands for Watch Now


VW President Hans-Jorg Hungerland talks about the company’s new Passat CC luxury car. Watch Now



A tour of and talk about Hyundai’s Genesis full-size luxury car Watch Now



Video tour of Honda's 2009 Pilot and new Clarity hydrogen fuel cell vehicle Watch Now



Would you pay $427,000 for a Rolls Phantom? If not, at least take the video tour. Watch Now



Video tour of Audi's R8 concept mid-engine sports car with a V-12 diesel Watch Now



How smart is the Smart Fortwo? Take a video tour and find out. Watch Now

Through manufacturing techniques including microfabrication and self assembly, researchers at the University of Washington were able to construct a contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights, which is biologically safe for users.

Most recently, tests were conducted to ensure the polymer substrate used in the lens would not affect a biological organism. The lenses were tested on rabbits for twenty minutes, after which they showed no negative reactions to the lenses. “That is something we have to do and be very careful about so we don’t damage the eye of the person or the animal under study,” says Babak Parvis, assistant professor of electrical engineering at the University of Washington.

Ultimately these devices would allow users to view and navigate information displayed directly on their cornea. “This is unprecedented; nobody has been able to or even attempted to dynamically construct images right on the surface of the eye,” says Parvis. “We have a lot of things to look into and a lot of technical problems to solve.”

The lens will not obstruct the user’s vision because most of the obstructive circuitry would sit on the iris, outside the viewable area of the eye. “We started by really evaluating what might be possible from the contact lens point of view, in terms of synthesizing the circuitry and functions and sensory, so it’s really exciting to see some prototype being produced and tested,” says Tueng Shen, assistant professor in ophthalmology at the University of Washington.

The lenses have been equipped with an antenna that can be used to harvest radio frequency energy and eventually will power the devices, though recent tests were passive. Parvis hopes to eventually harvest light but the key to supplying the lenses with power is by absorbing wireless or ambient energy.

Once fully functional, these lenses lend themselves to mass production because of the methods already used in their assembly. “I have no doubt that we can eventually mass produce these, but before we go to that point to attempt to mass produce any of these, we have to obviously generate all the functions that we would like on the lens and then test it extensively to make sure it is safe,” he says.