News World

Scientists build ‘Bionic Eye’ to restore vision in blind people

Bionic Eye Gennaris bionic vision system blind people
Source: Monash University

This century has witnessed massive improvements in the realm of development. Researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia have been successful in manufacturing a bionic eye that is able to fully restore the vision of blind people. Researchers guarantee that the bionic eye will be able to fully bring back the vision of blind people after a brain transplant. The bionic eye is referred to as the “Gennaris bionic vision system.” The team claims this is the world’s first bionic eye.

How the Gennaris bionic vision system works

The “Gennaris bionic vision system” has been under development for almost a decade now. This system operates by bypassing the damaged optic nerves to allow for signals to be transported from the retina to the vision center of the brain. This is a groundbreaking invention for blind people. Needless to say, researchers have always harbored sympathy for people with special needs. Researchers around the world have been working to cure this with various bionic solutions but none of them has yet been able to come to the market to help better people’s lives until now.

Gennaris bionic vision system is relatively uncomplicated. The user would have to adhere to a few instructions that include the user wearing a custom-designed headgear, the headgear has a camera and a wireless transmitter installed in it. A set of 9-millimeter tiles are implanted in the brain, this is done so that these tiles receive the signals from the aforementioned receiver.

Researchers claim that the bionic eye will fully restore vision in blind people

Arthur Lowery, a professor at Monash University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, that manufactured the bionic eye, said in a statement, “Our design creates a visual pattern from combinations of up to 172 spots of light (phosphenes) which provides information for the individual to navigate indoor and outdoor environments, and recognize the presence of people and objects around them.”

It is no secret that researchers have been working tirelessly to advance their system so that people with untreatable neurological conditions like limb paralysis, quadriplegia, can be helped. One researcher said, “If successful, the MVG [Monash Vision Group] team will look to create a new commercial enterprise focused on providing vision to people with untreatable blindness and movement to the arms of people paralyzed by quadriplegia, transforming their health care.”

The team of researchers has been successful in extracting helpful results in sheep with minimal side effects. The test trials were conducted by safely implanting the bionic eye into participants’ brains using a pneumatic inserter with a total of 2,00 hours of simulation. The researchers are now preparing to take it to the next level for its first-ever human clinical trial, which is expected to be conducted in Melbourne. They are also looking for secure funding to speed up the manufacturing process and distribution. Projects with such scientific rigor require plenty of secure funding to achieve desirable results.

About the author

Saman Iqbal

Saman is a law student. She enjoys writing about tech, politics and the world in general. She's an avid reader and writes fictional prose in her free time.







Daily Newsletter