Neuralink's competitor lets blind people see again with an implant

the beginning Science Foundation Announces a milestone. With a combination of one planting And one special one Camera glasses Blind people can see again.

The clinical trial was conducted on subjects who were legally blind according to the US definition. As in Austria, this is determined through visual acuity tests. The patients underwent a retinal transplant and were then able to read books and recognize faces again.

➤ Read more: A paraplegic can walk again thanks to a transplant

“As far as I know, this is the first time blind people have been given the ability to read fluently again,” he says. Max HudakCEO of Science. Before founding the company, he was one of the founders and president of Elon Musks Neuralink.

Prima consists of two components

Sciences Corp calls its system great. For this purpose: A Photoelectric chip It is performed surgically under the retina. The procedure takes about 80 minutes. In order for the system to work after that, the patient must wear special glasses. This has a built-in camera. Visual data becomes light Near infrared spectrum Transform them and project them onto a retina slide.

The chip converts light into… Electrical signals around. These stimulate remaining neurons in the retina, which send electrical signals to the brain. There the signs become images: the patient can see primitively again. The chip is also powered by infrared radiation, so it doesn't need its own power supply.

➤ Read more: Brain implant translates thoughts into language

Blind patients can read and solve crossword puzzles

Experiments were conducted with 38 patients Who have lost their sight due to a form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In industrialized countries, it is the leading cause of blindness in people aged 50 years and over. More than 200 million people are affected worldwide. It is estimated that this disease has caused blindness in 8 million people.

Of the 38 patients, 5 experienced no improvement in vision. Others were able to recognize letters and play cards again. Some people can read long passages in books and solve crossword puzzles. There is one to make texts easier to read Zoom function On glasses.

Because Prima uses infrared light, patients only see shapes, however No colors. The greater the contrast, the better patients can see. Black letters are easy to see on white paper.

Elon Musk wants to make people see without eyes

also Neuralink He is working on implanting a device that allows blind people to see again. In September, the company announced a “breakthrough.”

According to Elon Musk, even people who have lost both eyes or have been blind since birth can see. No evidence was provided for this. It is not known when clinical trials will be conducted.