We’ve had our eye — with the intention to speak — on Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) for sometime, and with the discovery of a brand new implantable microchip it’s coming ever toward getting the bionic eye engaged on real-deal humans. The tiny chip measures five square millimeters and packs 98 electrodes that stimulate retinal cells to revive vision. Preliminary tests are already underway, and clinicians are within the technique of screening human guinea pigs for sampling the implants — the primary full system continues to be not off course for a 2013 debut. Inside the interest of future success: here’s mud for your eye, BVA! Full PR after the break.
Major advance for bionic eyeUNSW researchers have unveiled the microchip that is expected to power Australia’s first bionic eye.
Associate Professor Gregg Suaning, of the Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering and a project leader within the national bionic eye consortium, Bionic Vision Australia (BVA), said the brand new, 98-channel microchip, now undergoing preliminary lab testing, was a main step towards the goal of a functional bionic eye.
“It is a remarkable new microchip that has brought an Australian retinal implant much towards reality,” he said.
“At only five square millimetres, the device is tiny but represents an important advance in nerve stimulation technology. The design team incorporated never-before attempted features with this design and so they absolutely nailed every aspect. The result’s mind boggling.”
BVA Director, Professor Anthony Burkitt, said the production of the chip, a year after BVA received funding for the bionic eye project, represented “a prime advance in technology”.
“This microchip is on the heart of the retinal implant, which stimulates the retinal cells to elicit vision. It’s a necessary component within the development of our first bionic vision system that might provide real, functional benefits for patients and make our technology competitive internationally,” he said.
The microchip is performing well in preliminary lab testing. It will likely be on the core of the Wide-View neurostimulator device being developed by BVA, with the 1st full implant of the system in a patient planned for 2013.
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