So long as it wouldn't end up with Jim looking as freaky as that guy
on Ripley's... At least, I think it was Ripley's... it was pretty
freaky, anyways. They basically put a little lens in his eye, and
then sealed up the eyelid around it.
--- In SkunkworksAMA_at_y..., "coelacanth1938" <chacoanasazi_at_a...> wrote:
> There's hope...
>
> Bionic eye 'ready for human trials'
>
> Australian inventors are looking for a small group of volunteers to
> start human trials of a 'bionic eye'.
>
> The device consists of a silicon chip inserted into the eyeball and
a
> pair of 'camera glasses' worn by users.
>
> Images from the glasses are broken down into pixels and passed to
the
> tiny chip, which acts like a retina.
>
> The chip simulates the images and transmits a message to the
retinal
> cells along a series of small wires.
>
> ABC reports tests on animals have been successful and designer
Gregg
> Suaning now wants to begin trials on a group of about five human
> volunteers.
>
> It says volunteers must be profoundly blind as people with partial
> sight will be excluded because of the potential risk of visual
damage.
>
> The research team has already held talks with Royal Blind Society
and
> Retina Australia about finding suitable volunteers.
>
> Suaning, of Australia's University of Newcastle, has been working
on
> the project for five years. He said: "The principle of a bionic eye
> is very similar to that of the bionic ear. It is a silicon chip
which
> decodes the radio signals and delivers simulations.
>
> "The chip sends message to the retinal cells through small wires.
We
> broadcast basically into the body. It's like a radio station that
> only has a range of 25 millimetres."
>
> A separate processing unit makes 'sense' of the camera images by
> looking for certain features, such as doorways of light. Current
> technology means the unit is only able to send 10x10 pixel images,
> but Suaning hopes this will improve with time.
>
>
> Story filed: 10:35 Tuesday 20th August 2002
Received on Wed Aug 21 2002 - 17:31:15 CDT