From the camera to the brain

Scientists have successfully connected a bionic eye to the brain of a blind woman

Sergey Kolenov, Hi-tech+

The device allowed the patient to see the world in the form of a pattern of luminous dots. The resolution was low, but it was enough to distinguish between letters and people.

Bernadeta Gomez lost her sight 16 years ago. However, new technologies have given her back the ability to see–at least for a while. A woman, whose story is told by MIT Technology Review, became a participant in an experiment to create a bionic eye.

The unusual device was developed by Spanish neuroengineer Eduardo Fernandez, an employee of Miguel Hernandez University. It consists of several parts. The first of them is glasses equipped with a camera. The signals from it go to the computer, where they are converted into electrical impulses and sent via cable to a special port. The port is embedded in the back of the skull and interacts with the implant in the visual cortex of the brain.

Thus, the bionic eye allows blind people to see, bypassing their own eyes.

Bernadeta Gomez has been testing the device for six months. During this period, she visited the laboratory four times a week to assess the quality of vision and general well-being. According to Bernadette, she saw the world in low resolution, in the form of luminous dots. However, it was enough to identify letters and people, as well as play a simple computer game resembling Pac-Man.

At the end of the experiment, researchers from Fernandez's team removed the implant from Bernadette's brain. Now they face more extensive tests. For example, it is necessary to test technologies that will avoid the destruction of implants in the body. In the coming years, five more people suffering from vision loss will receive a "bionic eye".

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