The Gennaris Bionic Vision System, developed by Monash University, is a groundbreaking technology designed to restore vision in blind individuals by bypassing damaged optic nerves and stimulating the brain’s visual cortex directly.
Here’s a breakdown of how it works:
- Components:The system consists of a miniature camera worn on custom-designed headgear, a vision processor unit, and up to 11 tiny wireless implants (9x9mm tiles) surgically placed in the brain’s primary visual cortex.
- Function:The camera captures high-resolution images, which are processed by the vision processor unit and then transmitted wirelessly to the brain implants.
- Stimulation:Each implant contains circuitry, a wireless receiver, and 43 microelectrodes that stimulate neurons in the visual cortex, creating visual patterns (phosphenes) that the brain learns to interpret as images.
- Bypassing Damage:The system bypasses damaged optic nerves, allowing individuals to perceive basic shapes and outlines, enabling navigation and object recognition.
- Natural Vision:The Gennaris system aims to mimic the eye’s natural structure, offering a 100-degree field of view, surpassing earlier flat-sensor technologies.
- Current Status:The system has been successfully tested on sheep with minimal side effects, and human clinical trials are set to begin soon in Melbourne.