Neuralink has proven its electronics to brain connection device and now has FDA approval for a Blindsight device.
It would be a real life version of the Geordie Laforge’s visor in Star Trek the Next Generation.
The Neuralink Blindsight device will try to restore vision, particularly for individuals who have lost their sight or those born blind.
Blindsight is designed to interface directly with the visual cortex of the brain, bypassing traditional visual pathways like the eyes and optic nerve. This approach theoretically allows for vision restoration even in cases where these conventional pathways are non-functional or absent.
Neuralink’s Blindsight has received the breakthrough devicedesignation from the FDA, which signifies its potential to offer a significant advancement in treating or diagnosing life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating conditions. This designation aims to expedite the device’s development, assessment, and review for market approval.
How Would It Restore Vision?
The device works by stimulating the visual cortex with electrical signals. Initially, it might offer low-resolution vision, likened to old video game graphics, but eventually it will provide high resolution vision that would go beyond natural human capabilities, potentially including the ability to see in infrared, ultraviolet, or even radar wavelengths.
The FDA’s breakthrough device tag indicates progress towards clinical trials. Neuralink has hinted at the technology working in monkeys, suggesting animal testing was successful before considering human trials.
Previous Devices by Others Have Had Problems
The University of Washington pointed out that achieving high-resolution vision through cortical stimulation might be technically challenging. There would be significant loss of detail in what is seen. There have been past failures in similar technologies.
Neuralink Future Plans
Elon Musk and Neuralink want to do more than just restore vision. There’s a vision of enhancing human capabilities, suggesting that Blindsight might be just the beginning of integrating more advanced sensory inputs directly into the human brain.
We have received Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA for Blindsight.
Join us in our quest to bring back sight to those who have lost it. Apply to our Patient Registry and openings on our career page https://t.co/abBMTdv7Rh
— Neuralink (@neuralink) September 17, 2024
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
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