Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-chip company, has taken a giant leap in making the visually impaired see again. So they have developed the apparatus called Blindsight which is now approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Blindsight is a new gadget to assist those who have lost their vision. As per Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk, it can potentially make people with no vision see the world in the first place. This is possible given that they have a well-functioning part of the brain that is responsible for vision, the visual cortex.
How does it work?
It is an implant that is placed in the brain with wires that interface with the visual cortex. This means it can go around the eyes and optic nerves which are usually required for vision to occur. Blindsight can stimulate the brain directly which may lead to the generation of visual perceptions even in quadriplegia or people with no eyes.
Musk explains that at first, the vision that is to be supplied by Blindsight will be very rudimentary. He said it resembled the type of graphics seen in the then-popular Atari video games which were not very detailed but in blocks. Nonetheless, he professes that with time the technology could get enhanced to give better vision than any natural eyesight.
FDA Approval
Further, Blindsight has been awarded something known as “Breakthrough Device Designation” by the FDA, this is a new medical device that may be useful in treating some diseases. It is an implication that the FDA will act quicker in the reviewing and approval of the device for use.
This news comes a month after Musk said that Neuralink wants to implant brain chips in eight more people this year. Such implants are intended for paralyzed patients to control a computer or a telephone using only their minds.
What This Means
If Blindsight works as Musk describes then it would be a great boon for many people who are blind due to some reasons or are born so. It is progress in the application of technology to eliminate physical disabilities among people.
But at the same time, it is also worth noting that the device is currently in the experimental stage. It will require more experimentation and improvement before the product can be widely released. Furthermore, the first versions of Musk’s hope may not function as efficiently as expected, and it is wise to be careful about such statements.
Neuralink has unveiled the Blindsight device, which is a great leap forward in the creation of brain-computer interfaces. It’s effective if done, it could transform the lives of many people with vision impaired issues. With the progress of technology, it can be expected that more wonderful opportunities to restore and improve human senses will open.
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