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http://www.popsci.com/bown/2013/…
Second Sight Argus II Dan Foley
The Argus II does something once thought impossible—it gives sight to the blind. The device is the first FDA-approved artificial retina. It consists of a miniature video camera mounted on a pair of glasses that sends footage to a microprocessor worn on a person’s belt. The processor converts the visual data to electronic signals, which are transmitted wirelessly to a 60-pixel electrode array implanted in the back of the eye. The optic nerve picks up these signals and sends them to the brain, where they are interpreted as rudimentary gray-scale images.So far, the Argus has enough resolution for people to see the lines of a crosswalk, find objects, and read letters a couple of centimeters tall. The device is currently approved for patients with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of degenerative diseases that affect two million people worldwide. And trials are planned to test the treatment of macular degeneration, the most common cause of blindness in Americans over the age of 60.
STATS
Electrode array resolution: 6 x 10
Battery life per charge: 2.5 to 6 hours
Color: Gray scale