A team of researchers have built a vision implant with tiny electrodes the size of a neuron, seeking to help blind people see again.
The development of vision implants first emerged in the 1990s. The technology targets patients suffering from damage to the eye, but whose visual cortex— the brain’s visual centre — is active and able to receive signals.
But despite the solution’s potential, existing methods are limited by the large size of electrodes and metal corrosion. The research team claims to have addressed both challenges.
A new, nano-sized implant
Vision implants contain electrodes that send signals to the brain to convey visual information — much like pixels create an image.
By developing microscopic electrodes, the team was able to fit a larger number of them onto a single implant. This, in turn, enables higher brain stimulation and creates a more detailed image for the patient.
The
Source : The Next Web