The Blind Shall See Again, But When? 226
An anonymous reader writes "Restoring hearing with cochlea implants that replace the inner ear with an electronic version has become standard procedure for many types of deafness. Now it looks like the same thing might happen for many types of blindness. With five national labs funded by the Department of Energy, this third-generation artificial retina promises to enable the blind to see again soon. Already it has been successful in over a dozen test patients, but at resolutions too low for doing much more than proving the concept. However, if the DoE can perfect this larger version of an artificial retina, then the company Second Sight promises to commercialize the implant, aiming for VGA resolution within the decade."
Great! (Score:2, Funny)
Who says the age of miracles is over?
Whoa (Score:5, Funny)
Keanu Reeves approves of this idea.
Re:nevermind the blind -- bring on the androids (Score:4, Funny)
the company Second Sight promises to commercialize the implant, aiming for VGA resolution within the decade.
And, if they achieve VGA resolution, you can just get the next upgrade [xkcd.com] in software [gamedev.net]!
Re:nevermind the blind -- bring on the androids (Score:5, Funny)
If they achieve better than VGA resolution, it's a steady road to needing HDMI cables, and I'm not convinced they will fit. ;)
Re:nevermind the blind -- bring on the androids (Score:5, Funny)
Make sure you include some kind of tuner, because I don't want to have to see Radio Disney nor the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation. But full-body scans at the airport might be a fun channel - those x-ray glasses I ordered when I was 12 didn't work.
Re:nevermind the blind -- bring on the androids (Score:3, Funny)
those x-ray glasses I ordered when I was 12 didn't work
You must have had a defective pair.
The ones I had when I was living in southern France worked perfectly.
Re:Optical nerve still needed. (Score:2, Funny)
and millimeter wave vision options
Pervert.
Re:nevermind the blind -- bring on the androids (Score:3, Funny)
320x200 8 bits. Life would be a game of Doom.
In the land of the blind... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:You think the HDMI cables are bad? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:nevermind the blind -- bring on the androids (Score:3, Funny)