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Bionic Eye Could Restore Vision

Posted by Zonk on from the we-have-the-technology dept.

MattSparkes writes "A new bionic eye could restore vision to the profoundly blind. A prototype was tested on six patients and 'within a few weeks all could detect light, identify objects and even perceive motion again. For one patient, this was the first time he had seen anything in half a century.' The user wears a pair of glasses that contain a miniature camera and that wirelessly transmits video to a cellphone-sized computer in the wearer's pocket. This computer processes the image information and wirelessly transmits it to a tiny electronic receiver implanted in the wearer's head."

13 of 167 comments (clear)

  1. Implants for healthy people by Harmonious+Botch · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I imagine that in the not too distant future some perfectly healthy geek will have one of these implanted. I'd seriously consider it when resolution gets to about 24 bit SVGA ( It will have to have fast PGP on the wireless connection so that I control what I am seeing. I do not want my optical nerve spammed directly ).
    I hope there is a 'turn-off-and-see-through' option that lets you use the original organic hardware when you want.

    It works even better if it is implanted in an infant, so that the brain can adapt to it as it grows. This will, of course, be considered child abuse when it is first done. In a century or two it will be considered abuse NOT to have it done for your kid.

    1. Re:Implants for healthy people by badboy_tw2002 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Mods are on crack - this is actual interesting discussion.

      There's too much we don't know aobut infant vision to mess with the brains early development - although who knows what stuff like television is already doing to us. However, I think it would be better to have these for overlays and such - where it mixes both the incoming light and anything being fed in from the connection. SVGA seems a little low resolution wise - don't forget this is your whole field of vision. You'd want probably 4-5 times that at least to resolve floating screens and such in front of you.

      Don't forget to add those aural implants for Dolby 600 channel sound!

    2. Re:Implants for healthy people by monopole · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This must be stopped until HDCP is implemented for the visual cortex. Otherwise people will be able to see protected content without DRM! Of course once reliable HDCP is implemented it should then be mandatory, plugging the analog hole once and for all!

    3. Re:Implants for healthy people by indigest · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The possibilities here are very intriguing. The study that the article mentioned used a pair of glasses with a camera. But there's no reason why those glasses/cameras would need to be on your face. You could literally set up eyes in the back of your head, a security camera monitored by yourself, or expand your field of vision to be much larger. Also, you could set up a virtual reality sim just by playing back a recorded stream of visual data into your implant.

      Of course, the possibilities for mischief with such an implant are also endless. These things would be in high demand for poker games and high school locker rooms and about a billion other things that criminals and perverts will think up.

    4. Re:Implants for healthy people by Dachannien · · Score: 3, Interesting

      There's too much we don't know aobut infant vision to mess with the brains early development

      An interesting tidbit on this topic: Scientists have done experiments in cats where they've blocked all incoming light to the cat's eyes during early kittenhood. A portion of the visual cortex does not organize properly without this input, causing the cats to have permanent non-functional vision. A similar effect is seen in human children who are born with cataracts or develop them very shortly after birth.

      (Hubel and Wiesel received part of the 1981 Nobel Prize in Physiology/Medicine for this work done through the 1960s and 70s.)

  2. Interesting by scoot80 · · Score: 4, Funny

    So the image is recieved wirelesly into the brain basically. I wonder if they get any interference.. or can they maybe pick up TV channels?... that would be a bonus.

    1. Re:Interesting by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 3, Funny

      I thought more about the shock from some prankster 'toothing goatse images around to unsuspecting phones.

      --
      liqbase :: faster than paper
  3. I am looking forward to this by abradsn · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Literally, this will definately benefit my eye condition. I hope that this research turns out to be helpful. From what I understand so far though, it is just prolonging the inevitable... but hey, that's better than nothing.

  4. Review by Quzak · · Score: 3, Funny

    +3 For the technology +2 For it actually working (would like to see more results data from a reputable source) +2 For bridging the gap between biological and technological distinctiveness (Resistance is futile) -2 For it being Wireless (prone to interference and hacking to the Nth degree, assuming this prototype has no security subsystems installed)

    --
    Support your local school shooter, give them your firearms.
  5. More experiments on kittens by Harmonious+Botch · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Another kitten experiment involved raising them in environments with either only horizontal or only vertical lines. As adults, they simply could not see objects of the 'wrong' orientation. A cat who had been raised in a horizontal-only world could hop up on the seat of a chair, but would bump into the legs if he tried to walk under it.

    1. Re:More experiments on kittens by Dunbal · · Score: 3, Funny

      A cat who had been raised in a horizontal-only world could hop up on the seat of a chair, but would bump into the legs if he tried to walk under it.


            Cool! Next time I have kittens I know what I'm going to do....(evil laugh) heeeere kitty kitty kitty

      --
      Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    2. Re:More experiments on kittens by Trillian_1138 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      A cat who had been raised in a horizontal-only world could hop up on the seat of a chair, but would bump into the legs if he tried to walk under it.

      I had heard that the kittens could indeed not see vertical lines (or horizontal, depending on the environment in which they were raised) but that as soon as they were put in normal situations they learned to compensate almost instantly by tilting their heads. The way I heard it, if you put kittens raised without horizontal input and tested them, they couldn't see horizontal lines but that if you put them in a normal environment with a bunch of normal kittens, you couldn't tell the difference because the ones with the vision impairment were compensating.

      I never did see the study, and have no background in vision research, so I couldn't tell you which version is true, but I'd be willing to guess that the kittens learned to compensate by tilting their heads. It just seems unlikely they wouldn't learn how to compensate.

      Trillian

      PS - sorry for using the word 'compensate' so much. I guess I'm compensating for something.
  6. Cadmium sulfide by Weaselmancer · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Once this thing gets working well, use cadmium sulfide in the receptors and you'd be able to see in a wider visual band than normal eyes. Infrared and ultraviolet would become "visible". You would see heat signatures in the dark, and have nightvision among other things.

    --
    Weaselmancer
    rediculous.