Bionic Eye Implant Available In US Next Month 102
kkleiner writes "Starting next month, Americans suffering from degenerative eye diseases can get excited about the launch of the Argus II, a bionic eye implant to partially restore vision. Designed for those suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, the Argus II is a headset that looks akin to Google Glass but is actually hard wired into the optic nerve to transmit visual information from a 60 electrode array. The device opens the door for similar 'humanitarian' implants that both reduce the difficulty in getting government approval and increase the adoption of brain implants."
Just great... (Score:5, Interesting)
Now people who rage agains't people with Google Glass are going to go ape shit over someone who has an actual disability :(
I remember reading about people doing that to disabled people using Segways.
what determines Slashdot article initial expansion (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Yeah, great (Score:5, Interesting)
I suffer from keratoconus in both my eyes. It's a degenerative disorder whereby my corneas gradually become thinner and bulge into a cone shape, causing hopelessly-distorted vision. Until just a few years ago, you could treat some of the symptoms, but the only actual cure was to wait until it got unbearably bad and then go in for a transplant of the entire cornea. I've been legally blind since about 2007.
But this year I was able to have a newly-developed, minimally-invasive surgery done that halted the progression and strengthened my corneas. Now, after the surgery and using special contact lenses, I'm able to have 20/20 vision for the first time since I was in middle school.
Underwhelmed? Fuck, man, I love the future.
Re:Hard wired (Score:4, Interesting)
> The primary thing to upgrade is the electrode array, which means you're going to have to open up the patient's eye anyway. With a hardwired connection you don't need to worry about powering the array, signal quality, processing the incoming signal, etc. You also have fewer security concerns.
Been there, done that. Designed some of the first current stimulators for visual prostheses. There are *enormous* problems with increasing the resolution of the electrode array. One is that, by connecting to the optic nerve directly, all the pre-processing edge detection and motion detection that occurs in the retina is skipped. The optic nerve normally carries pre-processed data. That pre-processing is sophisticated and very individual, depending on the individual's own physical connections between sight related sensors. If you don't believe me, look up Jerry Lettvin's old single electrode work on frog visual sensors.
Another is that as the electrodes become smaller, the current density becomes higher, electrical noise increases, and the amount of voltage necessary to deposit enough charge to stimulates local neurons climbs. Some of that means power issues for the stimulator, other parts mean that when the current density gets high enough due to tiny electrodes, you get electrolysis, which is *BAD* to do inside someone's active nervous system if you'd like the nerves to ever work again.
None of this is helped by digital processing, or trying to send the signal down an RF or magnetically coupled signal to an embedded receiver. That lesson was learned the hard way with other neural implants, such as cochlear implants and muscular-neural interfaces..