Vision of future: experts close to turning bionic eye dream into reality

Vision of future: experts close to turning bionic eye dream into reality

www.smh.com .au

FIFTEEN years ago, the bid to create Australia's first bionic eye relied on university researchers pillaging old stereos for parts.

However today, 154 researchers led by biomedical engineers from the University of NSW could be less than a year away from their goal of saving the vision of degenerative eye disease sufferers.

The technology centres on an intricate and minuscule implant containing 98 electrodes, which is designed to stimulate nerve cells in the retina.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Related News Links:
www.vision-systems.com

Images taken by an external camera implanted in glasses worn by the patient would be processed and relayed via an external wire to a receiver implanted behind the ear, from which signals will be sent to the retina processing chip. If all goes to plan the retina, having been stimulated with the signals, will send information to vision processing centres in the brain.

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www.vision-systems.com...

This could be extremely helpful for people with eye disadvantages. Human trials are to be started next year, and hopefully it will be successful. What does ATS have to say?

www.smh.com .au
(visit the link for the full news article)

SF thanks for the update. I myself am legally blind, due to rods and cones, as well as retinal Pigmentosis. From my understanding the main issues with eye transplants, is the inability to reconnect to the optic nerve. I didn't think there was any breakthroughs in this area. Awesome



reply to post by daaskapital

Who would be willing to get their eyes removed? Wouldn't a lot of people find that a little weird, even if their blind?

reply to post by daaskapital


As long as they dont give one to Hamza out of tax-payers money i'm all for it

reply to post by Vandettas


Read the article?

About the article. This is AWESOME! A friend of mine has retinitis pigmentosa and I really hope this will bare its fruits since it will make such a huge change in a persons life!
Also, are we in Star-Trek?! I remember a dude named Geordi La Forge in Star Trek TNG had something like this (It was more advanced of course but the concept was the same).

I'll keep my fingers crossed!
Thanks for the incredible news! S&F!


IT--

SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!!!!
I love this, the fruition of this project marks a huge stepping stone in the integration of technology into a biological interface! I feel personally that although human evolution produces manny positive effects on future generations adapting technology to interface with the nervous system directly is going to be the easiest way to obtain bodily enhancements over time, it could even lead to a nearly eternal preservation of human consciousness in some distant year!

It's heeerrreeee!!

FDA Approves World's First Bionic Eye

Looks like we were closer than we thought!

In fact, a full cyborg transformation has been given a green light by the FDA, and now researchers have successfully transplanted the world's first bionic eye.

Surgeons at the University of Michigan Health System have made the first officially FDA-approved "bionic eye" transplants, allowing patients with a degenerative eye disease to make out light and shapes. The Michigan Daily reports that on January 16th and 22nd, two surgeons successfully implanted the Argus II artificial retina, which is composed of a sheet of electrodes fixed to the eye. The implant is paired with a pair of camera-equipped glasses and a processor that captures video from the glasses. That video is then sent as a series of pulses to the electrodes, stimulating the patient's remaining nerve fibers. (Source)

So, it appears this application of the tech is benign but a lot of people are shunning it as a cyborg transhumanism totalitarian thing. Well, I saw someone on Facebook comment how much they would love a bionic ear because the cochlear implant doesn't work for her.

The main question is - cui bono? Who benefits from advances like this - the general population?