“I see!” said the blind man.
Boy, back in elementary school, that was the punchline to some seriously funny jokes. Today, it’s just months away from becoming a reality.
Researchers with Sandia National Labs are working to add the final touches to a microchip implant that would give sight to the blind.
According to the details on CNET, the two-piece system would involve a spectacle-mounted camera ((James Bond stuff?)) that transmits a radio signal to the chip with is impanted on top of the retina. The chip draws it’s power from the radio signal, so there is no need for wires or anything like that. COOL!
Sandia National Labs project leader Kurt Wessendorf said in a statement, “They won’t be able to drive cars, at least in the near future, because instead of millions of pixels, they’ll see approximately a thousand. The images will come a little slowly and appear yellow. But people who are blind will see.”
Damn! I love technology!