FUTURE AHEAD

The optical head-mounted display (OHMD) has been attracting plenty of media attention recently. It is a tiny, wearable computer which is attached to what looks like a normal pair of frameless glasses. 1. .............................................. .

Wearers can receive and reply to messages or phone calls, ask the device to translate for them, get information about the world, ask for directions, take pictures, listen to music and record videos along the way without hardly ever having to take their hands out of their pockets.

People who have been testing this groundbreaking new technology claim that it enables them to obtain useful information without interrupting their daily lives. 2. .............................................. . On a more serious note, the ‘computer glasses’ could provide valuable assistance to disabled people or anybody with impaired mobility.

As with all new technologies, there are issues that come with the device. Any device that allows its wearers to photograph and record people without their consent, or without them being aware of it, raises questions about privacy. 3. .............................................. . Criminals could use it to obtain plans of the next bank they are planning to rob.

4. .............................................. . Think, for instance, of the MP3 and MP4 players. Everywhere we go, there are people plugged into their players, oblivious to the world around them. Others have become so addicted to their mobile phones that they cannot concentrate during face-to-face conversations without simultaneously checking their messages.

5. .............................................. . Moreover, if we become too reliant on always being updated about any situation, we run the risk of feeling insecure and out of control the moment we cannot get this information.

For the moment, we don’t have to worry too much. 6. .............................................. . When they do become available, will people still be comfortable viewing the world in such a different way? Well, you could say that remains to be seen.