Back to the scorecard

Retinal glasses or contacts are routinely used.

Reference judgmentPartialDisputedResearch snapshot · October 15, 2026
Source confidence & research status
i
Editorial paraphrase · evidence v0.3. AI-assisted editorial assessments; original book editions not independently collated. Attribution and outcome confidence are recorded separately.

Source state: TEXT CONFIRMED IN LISTED SOURCE.

Attribution confidence
MEDIUM
Outcome confidence · deadline / review
MEDIUM / MEDIUM
Timing confidence / kind
LOW · UNESTABLISHED
Population
Technology markets and relevant users; no universality unless the forecast expressly requires it.

Our reading of the claim

Reference (stated reasonable reading)

Partial

Criterion: Retinal glasses/contacts with the specified exceptional resolution are routinely worn, not just demonstrated.

Deadline: 2019 · Included in this comparison

At original deadlinePARTLY FULFILLED
By review datePARTLY FULFILLED

Near-eye displays existed in 2019, but mainstream routine use at the asserted acuity did not. Practical headsets/AR prove part of the direction, not routine retinal contacts or acuity above human vision.

Deadline and follow-up notes

At deadline: Near-eye displays existed in 2019, but mainstream routine use at the asserted acuity did not.

By review: Practical headsets/AR prove part of the direction, not routine retinal contacts or acuity above human vision.

Evidence: N04 (opens in a new tab)N05 (opens in a new tab)

View this reading in the scorecard →
01

The forecast and its attribution.

EDITORIAL PARAPHRASE

Retinal glasses or contacts are routinely used.

Spiritual Machines: The Merging of Man and Machine — Ray Kurzweil

1999 · Attribution / year unconfirmed
Computers and communications in 2019: direct-eye displays

AUTHORED ARTICLE THIRD PARTY MIRROR

Source publication: 1999 · Access: text checked

Attributed to Kurzweil; closing note identifies adaptation from The Age of Spiritual Machines (1999). An article mirror, not a scan of the book. Text transcription may contain errors. The article’s dollar amounts must not silently replace differently quoted book versions.

Catalogue entry P02
Open listed source (opens in a new tab)
Normalized claim
Retinal glasses or contacts are routinely used.
Success criteria
Retinal glasses/contacts with the specified exceptional resolution are routinely worn, not just demonstrated.
Claim type
Adoption
02

Timeline

PREDICTION MADE1999Attributed forecast year; original edition not collated
ORIGINAL TARGET2019Deadline supplied by this assessment
FULL REALIZATION—No achievement year established

UNESTABLISHED: Not fully realized by 2026-10-15; overdue, not an observed delay

Outcome at original deadlinePARTLY FULFILLED
Outcome at reviewPARTLY FULFILLED

Supplied target wording: 2019. The original deadline is preserved if a later forecast revises it. Forecast horizon: not established. Drift is a calendar-year difference, not a precise elapsed duration.

03

The evidence.

CONTEXT · 2004-08-10

Microvision: Nomad retinal display installed at Chevrolet dealership (opens in a new tab)

Microvision-issued release hosted by The Auto Channel: actual industrial deployment. Head-worn see-through retinal display; not ordinary prescription-glasses styling or mass consumer adoption.. Microvision-issued release hosted by The Auto Channel: actual industrial deployment. Head-worn see-through retinal display; not ordinary prescription-glasses styling or mass consumer adoption.

Source checked as of 2026-10-15
ISSUER RELEASE SYNDICATED

Source publication: 2004-08-10 · Access: web text or indexed extract checked

Microvision-issued release hosted by The Auto Channel: actual industrial deployment. Head-worn see-through retinal display; not ordinary prescription-glasses styling or mass consumer adoption.

Catalogue entry N04
CONTEXT · 2019-05-20

Qualcomm: Snapdragon platform powers shipping Oculus Quest (opens in a new tab)

Primary institutional, research, or issuer source. Dates in the claim refer to the observation or product event, not the review date.. Primary institutional, research, or issuer source. Dates in the claim refer to the observation or product event, not the review date.

Source checked as of 2026-10-15
PRIMARY RESEARCH OR OFFICIAL

Source publication: 2019-05-20 · Access: web text or indexed extract checked

Primary institutional, research, or issuer source. Dates in the claim refer to the observation or product event, not the review date.

Catalogue entry N05

Capability, adoption, and timing

A related breakthrough is not automatically fulfillment. Review must check the actual capability, how widely it was required to be used, the specified technology, and the original deadline. A prototype cannot establish a claim about routine or widespread use.

i
Alternative interpretation: Assessment is conditional on the stated criterion and population. Documented examples establish availability, not universal adoption. The original book edition has not been independently collated.
04

Research notes & history

Assessment is conditional on the stated criterion and population. Documented examples establish availability, not universal adoption. The original book edition has not been independently collated.

Open questions

  • Original-edition collation remains an attribution task; it does not erase the stated outcome assessment.
Imported from
kurzweil_verification_v0_3_package/predictions.canonical.v0.3.json
Legacy identifier
None
Forecast family
K030
Parent statement
Not assigned
File checksum
93ae54d9ea2f1bd1817c481b85e2b707812bcd934c74d0f1715fa098d9b5f51b
Inspect preserved source fields
release_record
{"population_scope":"Technology markets and relevant users; no universality unless the forecast expressly requires it.","attribution_confidence":"MEDIUM","interpretation_confidence":"MEDIUM","outcome_confidence":{"at_deadline":"MEDIUM","at_review":"MEDIUM"},"timing_confidence":"LOW","date_uncertainty_affects_verdict":false,"interpretations":{"reference":{"criterion":"Retinal glasses/contacts with the specified exceptional resolution are routinely worn, not just demonstrated.","at_deadline":"PARTLY_FULFILLED","at_review":"PARTLY_FULFILLED","rationale":"Near-eye displays existed in 2019, but mainstream routine use at the asserted acuity did not. Practical headsets/AR prove part of the direction, not routine retinal contacts or acuity above human vision.","relaxed_or_changed_conditions":[],"kind":"REFERENCE_READING","documented_by_year":null,"at_deadline_rationale":"Near-eye displays existed in 2019, but mainstream routine use at the asserted acuity did not.","at_review_rationale":"Practical headsets/AR prove part of the direction, not routine retinal contacts or acuity above human vision.","evidence_source_ids":["N04","N05"],"verdict":"PARTIAL","same_as_reference":false,"eligible_for_deadline_metrics":true,"deadline_year":2019,"outcome_assessment_complete":true},"strict":{"criterion":"Retinal glasses/contacts with the specified exceptional resolution are routinely worn, not just demonstrated.","at_deadline":"PARTLY_FULFILLED","at_review":"PARTLY_FULFILLED","rationale":"Near-eye displays existed in 2019, but mainstream routine use at the asserted acuity did not. Practical headsets/AR prove part of the direction, not routine retinal contacts or acuity above human vision.","relaxed_or_changed_conditions":[],"kind":"REFERENCE_READING","documented_by_year":null,"at_deadline_rationale":"Near-eye displays existed in 2019, but mainstream routine use at the asserted acuity did not.","at_review_rationale":"Practical headsets/AR prove part of the direction, not routine retinal contacts or acuity above human vision.","evidence_source_ids":["N04","N05"],"verdict":"PARTIAL","same_as_reference":true,"eligible_for_deadline_metrics":true,"deadline_year":2019,"outcome_assessment_complete":true},"broader":{"criterion":"Practical consumer immersive/AR near-eye displays are available.","at_deadline":"FULFILLED","at_review":"FULFILLED","rationale":"Quest and other head-worn systems satisfy availability by 2019.","relaxed_or_changed_conditions":["Routine broad wearing","Retinal implementation and above-human acuity"],"kind":"ALTERNATIVE_READING","documented_by_year":2019,"evidence_source_ids":["N04","N05"],"verdict":"CORRECT","same_as_reference":false,"eligible_for_deadline_metrics":true,"deadline_year":2019,"outcome_assessment_complete":true}},"timing":{"first_full_achievement_year":null,"documented_by_year":null,"achievement_interval_years":null,"kind":"UNESTABLISHED","label":"Not fully realized by 2026-10-15; overdue, not an observed delay","drift_years":null,"drift_range_years":null},"deduplication":{"is_canonical":true,"is_repeated_identical_claim":false,"counting_unit":"DISTINCT_FORECAST_VERSION","note":"Different deadlines or materially different thresholds remain separate versions; identical legacy repetitions are linked, not recounted."},"revision_history":[{"from_version":"0.2","previous_assessment":{"review_state":"SOURCE_CONFIRMED","verdict":"UNREVIEWED","as_of":"2026-10-14","at_deadline":"NOT_ASSESSED","at_review":"NOT_ASSESSED","confidence":"MEDIUM","disputed_interpretation":false,"benchmark_ready":false,"rationale":"The source is located; the earlier “Google Glass exists” comparison did not test the required mechanism, acuity or adoption. A defensible device/adoption evidence set is still needed.","first_full_achievement_year":null,"full_achievement_documented_by_year":null,"drift_years":null,"drift_range_years":null,"still_unfulfilled_as_of_review":false,"eligible_for_deadline_metrics":false,"withheld_reason":"Future, unresolved, intrinsically unscorable, or interpretation-dependent; see assessment."},"change_reason":"Complete deadline/current outcome assessment under explicit scope; separate uncertainty from verdict."}],"is_new_in_v03":false,"counting_policy":{"unit":"distinct_forecast_version","identical_repetitions_count_once":true,"alternative_interpretations_count_once":true,"legacy_conditional_rows_count":false},"id":"K030","slug":"k030-routine-high-acuity-retinal-displays","title":"Routine high-acuity retinal displays","prediction_paraphrase":"Retinal glasses or contacts are routinely used.","wording_kind":"EDITORIAL_PARAPHRASE","original_quote":null,"primary_category":"Interfaces & virtual worlds","tags":["visual acuity","adoption"],"subcategory":"Retinal displays","claim_type":"ADOPTION","family_id":"K030","parent_statement_id":null,"legacy_ids":["EXE-009"],"origin":"LEGACY_RECONCILIATION","publication":{"forecast_year":1999,"year_basis":"ARTICLE_ATTRIBUTION","original_book_edition_checked":false,"forecast_year_status":"ATTRIBUTED_ARTICLE_YEAR_NOT_ORIGINAL_BOOK_COLLATION"},"target":{"text":"2019","deadline_year":2019,"precision":"YEAR","year_start":2019,"year_end":2019,"interpretation":null},"source_verification":{"state":"TEXT_CONFIRMED_IN_LISTED_SOURCE","confidence":"MEDIUM","book_text_not_independently_collated":true},"success_criteria":"Retinal glasses/contacts with the specified exceptional resolution are routinely worn, not just demonstrated.","assessment":{"at_deadline_rationale":"Near-eye displays existed in 2019, but mainstream routine use at the asserted acuity did not.","at_review_rationale":"Practical headsets/AR prove part of the direction, not routine retinal contacts or acuity above human vision.","verdict_qualifier":null,"outcome_evidence_basis":"DIRECT_AND_CONTEXTUAL_EVIDENCE_WITH_EXPLICIT_EDITORIAL_INTERPRETATION","attribution_is_separate":true,"first_event_date_required_for_verdict":false,"at_review_semantics":"FULL_REALIZATION_HAS_OCCURRED_BY_REVIEW_NOT_NECESSARILY_CURRENT_PRODUCT_SALES","review_state":"EDITORIAL_ASSESSMENT_COMPLETE","verdict":"PARTIAL","as_of":"2026-10-15","at_deadline":"PARTLY_FULFILLED","at_review":"PARTLY_FULFILLED","confidence":"MEDIUM","disputed_interpretation":true,"benchmark_ready":true,"rationale":"Near-eye displays existed in 2019, but mainstream routine use at the asserted acuity did not. Practical headsets/AR prove part of the direction, not routine retinal contacts or acuity above human vision.","first_full_achievement_year":null,"full_achievement_documented_by_year":null,"drift_years":null,"drift_range_years":null,"still_unfulfilled_as_of_review":true,"eligible_for_deadline_metrics":true,"withheld_reason":null},"prediction_sources":[{"source_id":"P02","locator":"Computers and communications in 2019: direct-eye displays","role":"FORECAST_ATTRIBUTION"}],"evidence":[{"source_id":"N04","locator":"Microvision-issued release hosted by The Auto Channel: actual industrial deployment. Head-worn see-through retinal display; not ordinary prescription-glasses styling or mass consumer adoption.","role":"OUTCOME_EVIDENCE"},{"source_id":"N05","locator":"Primary institutional, research, or issuer source. Dates in the claim refer to the observation or product event, not the review date.","role":"OUTCOME_EVIDENCE"}],"limitations":"Assessment is conditional on the stated criterion and population. Documented examples establish availability, not universal adoption. The original book edition has not been independently collated.","open_questions":["Original-edition collation remains an attribution task; it does not erase the stated outcome assessment."],"legacy_relations":[{"legacy_id":"EXE-009","relation":"SPLIT_DISTINCT_CAPABILITIES"}]}

Review history

— Evidence v0.2: UNREVIEWED. The source is located; the earlier “Google Glass exists” comparison did not test the required mechanism, acuity or adoption. A defensible device/adoption evidence set is still needed. Change: Complete deadline/current outcome assessment under explicit scope; separate uncertainty from verdict.

— Evidence v0.3: EDITORIAL_ASSESSMENT_COMPLETE; supplied verdict PARTIAL. Near-eye displays existed in 2019, but mainstream routine use at the asserted acuity did not. Practical headsets/AR prove part of the direction, not routine retinal contacts or acuity above human vision.

Related forecasts.

No forecast family has been resolved for this record. Related statements and revised deadlines will be linked during research.