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Create Cover Marita Cheng was named one of 2018 Forbes World's Top 50 Women in Tech
 
CES aubot Marita founded robotics company Aubot making robots to help people in their everyday lives, Robogals to encourage girls into engineering, and Aipoly AI sight for the visually impaired
 
Korea speaking Marita has given over 350 speeches in the USA, Australia, the UK, China, France, Japan, Sweden, South Korea, UAE, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Philippines, Taiwan, and Malaysia
 
Choose Maths Bus Melbourne Marita was 2012 Young Australian of the Year, and a 2016 Forbes 30 Under 30
 
A video with Marita, robots and maths
 

Eyesight on technology

Published: Saturday, 06 April 2013

When I was growing up, I read voraciously - for hours and hours a day.  When I was in year 7, my mum even went to my parent-teacher interview and complained to my teacher that the only thing I did all day was read!  And so my mum was always telling me to stop reading in the car at night, reading lying down and reading in dim lighting, because she said it would ruin my eyesight.

One of my biggest concerns for my and future generations is the impact of technology on our eyes.  Backlit computer screens, television, mobile phones, Google glass, tablets, etc.

They all invite us to stare fixedly on a small area for long periods of time.  We're told to give our eyes a break for a few minutes every 30-40 minutes, but I don't actually know anyone who does that.

Last year, from a combination of working and not sleeping enough, I've felt my own eyesight deteriorate.

Which is why I think it's important for us to think of our other bodily functions and senses.  Dogs are colour-blind, but have acute smell and hearing:  perhaps we could come up with an output that uses those senses?  More auditory output devices perhaps?

Otherwise, I think it's just our own personal responsibilities to cherish our eyesight by seeing that the computer is just a tool to use, rather than a device that can cater to all our whims.

Let's save our eyes by not marrying them to a screen all day, so they can continue to enjoy the beautiful natural world around us.

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About Me

Marita ChengForbes named me a top 50 woman in tech globally, and 30 Under 30. I founded Robogals, and was Young Australian of the Year 2012. Currently working on robotics company, Aubot. I also give speeches around the world.

I tweet @maritacheng and I'm on Facebook.

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