This is the beginning of the end of blindness. Robert Greenberg, the CEO of a company called Second Sight, has developed a bionic eye that can allow blind people to see again. The name of the project is Argus II. This system is a pair of camera-equipped glasses that are hooked up to electrodes in the eyes. It is essentially made up of a pair of glasses, a converter box and an electrode array. The image captured by the camera in the glasses is transmitted to the converter box, which can easily fit in a purse or pocket, and then the box sends signals to the electrode array implanted in the retina, which then sends visual information to the brain. While it is a groundbreaking technological advancement, it still does not restore one's vision completely, and there is much more work to be done. For now, only 6 people in the U.S. have the Argus II, but researchers are working to develop this into a more affordable and complete system.
More information can be found here, along with a description of what people with the Argus II can see: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140923-im-blind-but-i-have-bionic-eyes
This would be great once it actually makes it in the market as an affordable and working product. One question I have for you is what did you mean when you stated that it doesn't restore vision completely? Was it still blurry or was sight still incomprehemsible for the user?
ReplyDeleteI agree - if the developers can find a way to slash the cost of this innovation and perhaps integrate it into countries's health insurance policies, this would be fantastic!
DeleteIt doesn't restore vision completely because the user does not see like we do. Their vision is blurry and hard to understand. The article actually states that there is a learning curve for people starting to use this product.
Deletethis is actually pretty chill...I heard about something similar to this but with ears. Some people are receiving ear implants that allow them to hear by sending signals directly to their brain from the implants...pretty chill stuff.
DeleteDo you know how much the product would cost once it hits the market?
ReplyDelete