Blindsight (Vision Repair Implant)

2024: US Use Permit

In mid-September 2024, it became known that regulators approved further research on an experimental implant for the restoration of sight Blindsight, which was developed by Elona Musk a brain chip startup. Neuralink The implant has received prestigious "breakthrough technology" status, which could speed up its approval for implementation in clinical practice.

The Blindsight device functions by implanting a microelectrode matrix directly into the visual cortex of the brain. The matrix activates neurons based on input from an external camera that produce a visual image. In theory, such a device can become the basis for artificial reconstruction of visual perception in blind people from birth.

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Neuralink

The main problem is the limited number of electrodes in modern systems, because when installing only a few electrodes, the "vision" of a person with an implant will be more like small flashes of light than a clear image. The Neuralink implant differs from other brain-computer interface projects in that the company uses more electrodes, but the question of the real effectiveness of Blindsight remains open.

In addition, the brain must be able to interpret visual information. Vision is not just the ability to see light, but also an understanding of volume, distances, shape. People who are blind due to injury or illness and have regained vision later in life retain old visual processing pathways. However, in a person born blind, such paths may not have formed at all. Thus, even using the Blindsight device, the brain of such a person may simply not be able to interpret the received signals^[1]

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