tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646035862567361.post3058868347114496700..comments2024-02-05T08:40:25.014-08:00Comments on beme machine: Ray Kurzweil: Futurist, Inventor, Extremely Interesting GuyBeme Machinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07382000917925360433noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1646035862567361.post-19621967153358377352009-05-14T12:20:00.000-07:002009-05-14T12:20:00.000-07:00HomeNewsSportRadioTVWeatherLanguages
UK versi...HomeNewsSportRadioTVWeatherLanguages<br /> <br />UK versionInternational version |About the versions Low graphics|Accessibility help One-Minute World News <br /> <br /> News services <br />Your news when you want it <br /> <br /> <br />News Front Page <br /> <br />Africa <br />Americas <br />Asia-Pacific <br />Europe <br />Middle East <br />South Asia <br />UK <br />Business <br />Health <br />Science & Environment <br />Technology <br />Entertainment <br />Also in the news <br />-----------------<br />Video and Audio <br />-----------------<br />Have Your Say <br />In Pictures <br />Country Profiles <br />Special Reports RELATED BBC SITES<br />SPORT <br />WEATHER <br />ON THIS DAY <br />EDITORS' BLOG <br /> Last Updated: Friday, 16 February 2007, 10:48 GMT <br /><br /> E-mail this to a friend Printable version <br /> <br />Trials for 'bionic' eye implants <br />By Jonathan Fildes <br />Science and technology reporter, BBC News, San Francisco <br /><br /><br /> <br />A receiver under the eye surface passes the signals back to the chip <br />A bionic eye implant that could help restore the sight of millions of blind people could be available to patients within two years. <br /><br />US researchers have been given the go-ahead to implant the prototype device in 50 to 75 patients. <br /><br />The Argus II system uses a spectacle-mounted camera to feed visual information to electrodes in the eye. <br /><br />Patients who tested less-advanced versions of the retinal implant were able to see light, shapes and movement. <br /><br />"What we are trying to do is take real-time images from a camera and convert them into tiny electrical pulses that would jump-start the otherwise blind eye and allow patients to see," said Professor Mark Humayun, from the University of Southern California. <br /><br />BIONIC EYE TECHNOLOGY <br /> <br />1: Camera on glasses views image <br />2: Signals are sent to hand-held device<br />3: Processed information is sent back to glasses and wirelessly transmitted to receiver under surface of eye<br />4: Receiver sends information to electrodes in retinal implant<br />5: Electrodes stimulate retina to send information to brain <br /><br /><br /><br />Retinal implants are able to partially restore the vision of people with particular forms of blindness caused by diseases such as macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa. <br /><br />About 1.5 million people worldwide have retinitis pigmentosa, and one in 10 people over the age of 55 have age-related macular degeneration. <br /><br />Both diseases cause the retinal cells which process light at the back of the eye to gradually die. <br /><br />The new devices work by implanting an array of tiny electrodes into the back of the retina. <br /><br />A camera is used to capture pictures, and a processing unit, about the size of a small handheld computer and worn on a belt, converts the visual information into electrical signals. <br /><br />These are then sent back to the glasses and wirelessly on to a receiver just under the surface of the front of the eye, which in turn feeds them to the electrodes at the rear. <br /><br />The whole process happens in real time. <br /><br />Growing dots <br /><br />First-generation, low-resolution devices have already been fitted to six patients. <br /><br />"The longest device has been in for five years," said Professor Humayun. <br /><br />"It's amazing, even with 16 pixels, or electrodes, how much our first six subjects have been able to do." <br /><br />Terry Byland, 58, from California was fitted with an implant in 2004 after going blind with retinitis pigmentosa in 1993. <br /><br />"At the beginning, it was like seeing assembled dots - now it's much more than that," he said. <br /><br />"When I am walking along the street I can avoid low-hanging branches - I can see the edges of the branches." <br /><br />Mr Byland is also able to make out other shapes. <br /><br />"I can't recognise faces, but I can see them like a dark shadow," he said. <br /><br />Brain change <br /><br />The new implant has a higher resolution than the earlier devices, with 60 electrodes. <br /><br />It is also a lot smaller, about one square millimetre, which reduces the amount of surgery that needs to be done to implant the device. <br /><br />The technology has now been given the go-ahead by the US Food and Drug Administration to be used in an exploratory patient trial. <br /><br />This will take place at five centres across America over two years, with 50-75 patients aged over 50. <br /><br />If successful, the device could be commercialised soon after, costing around $30,000 (£15,000). Other devices could then be developed with higher resolution or a wider field of view, said Professor Humayun. <br /><br />Future work includes studying the effects the implants have on the brain. <br /><br />"We are actually studying what happens to the visual cortex over time," said Professor Humayun. <br /><br />The research was presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting in San Francisco, US. <br /><br /><br /><br /> E-mail this to a friend Printable version <br /><br /> VIDEO AND AUDIO NEWS <br />Pictures of the bionic eye implant <br /> <br /><br /><br /><br />SEE ALSO <br />Bionic hand gives realistic grip <br />20 Dec 06 | Health <br />Scientists make 'bionic' muscles <br />18 Mar 06 | Health <br />Eye implant shows promise <br />08 May 03 | Health <br />Age-related macular degeneration <br />13 Jun 02 | Medical notes <br /><br /><br />RELATED INTERNET LINKS <br />AAAS Annual Meeting <br />Mark Humayun <br />The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites <br /><br /><br />TOP SCIENCE & ENVIRONMENT STORIES <br />Food needs 'fundamental rethink' <br /><br />Coral springs back from tsunami <br /><br />Breeding 'success' for crayfish <br /><br />| News feeds<br /><br /><br />MOST POPULAR STORIES NOW<br />MOST E-MAILED MOST READ Gerrard arrested in assault probe <br />Vancouver is 'best place to live' <br />Dire warning over 2009 job cuts <br />Thiamine 'reverses kidney damage' <br />Holocaust 'love story' was fake <br />Most popular now, in detail MOST E-MAILED MOST READ Gerrard arrested in assault probe <br />Israel strikes key Hamas offices <br />Holocaust 'love story' was fake <br />Smartphones drive mobile markets <br />Dire warning over 2009 job cuts <br />Most popular now, in detail <br /> <br /> FEATURES, VIEWS, ANALYSIS <br /> Going for gold <br /><br />Russian investment and Olympics bring wealth to Abkhazia Christmas rejects <br /><br />Unwanted gifts and sprouts - what's dumped on eBay Year in pictures <br />The best photos from 2008 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />PRODUCTS & SERVICESE-mail news Mobiles Alerts News feeds Podcasts BBC Copyright Notice The most read story in North America is: Gerrard arrested in assault probe Back to top ^^ Help Privacy and cookies policy News sources About the BBC Contact usAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com