The University of Chicago Medicine has received a $2.4 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a system of wireless brain implants with the goal of restoring partial vision to those who have lost their sight.
According to researchers, the proposed system would use tiny devices called wireless floating microelectrode arrays. Electrodes would reportedly be implanted into up to 600 sites on each side of the brain's visual cortex. The patient would wear glasses equipped with a cellphone camera connected to a small computer work in a pouch. As images come in through the camera, the computer would convert them into electrical impulses transmitted to the brain implants through a device worn in a headband.
Electrical impulses would then stimulate the patient's visual cortex and generate individual points of light called phosphenes in what would be the subject’s normal field of vision. The resulting images — reportedly similar to pictures made with the classic Lite Brite toy — would then form outlines of shapes the patient could use to navigate or identify objects.
Researchers believe while their system would not offer a complete restoration of natural sight, the technology could drastically improve the quality of life for people who have lost their vision through injury or illness.
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Source: University of Chicago Medicine