The article Solar implant with AI should make blind people read again first appeared in the online magazine BASIC thinking. With our newsletter UPDATE you can start the day well informed every morning.
A solar implant and AI glasses should help cure AMD and enable blind people to read again. It would be the first treatment option for the eye disease.
Every year, many people go blind as a result of advanced, dry, age-related macular degeneration (AMD). But the treatment of this eye disease may be facing a turning point.
Researchers from UCL and Moorfields Eye Hospital showed As part of a large clinical study, patients blinded by dry AMD can read again with the help of a solar-powered eye implant and AI-powered glasses.
This form of AMD, known as geographic atrophy (GA), destroys the area of sharp central vision (macula) and affects an estimated five million people worldwide. There is currently no approved treatment.
The European study showed that 84 percent of participants were able to recognize letters, numbers and words after implanting the PRIMA chip. On average, the patients achieved the ability to read five lines on a standard eye chart.
Solar implant under the retina
The core of the technology is a so-called PRIMA chip. This is a tiny, wireless, photovoltaic implant that is about the size of a SIM card and just 30 micrometers (0.03 mm) thick.
This corresponds to about half of a human hair. It is placed under the central retina in a procedure that takes less than two hours. The chip then acts like a miniature solar panel that draws its energy from an infrared beam.
After surgery, patients must wear special augmented reality glasses with a built-in camera connected to a pocket-sized computer. This camera captures the image, illuminates it with the infrared beam and transmits the visual data to the implant.
AMD treatment aims to help blind people see again
The images are processed using AI algorithms in the pocket computer, which convert the visual information into an electrical signal. This signal is then transmitted to the brain via the retinal and optic nerve cells, where it is interpreted as vision.
The chip is activated approximately one month after surgery. After activation, patients begin an intensive rehabilitation program lasting several months. During this time they learn to interpret the new signals and read content. Participants were encouraged to use the chip for more complex tasks, such as solving crossword puzzles or finding their way around the Paris metro.
One patient described regaining her ability to read as “insanely exciting” and emphasized that it had restored her confidence and independence. The results of the study open the possibility of applying for approvals for the device and using the technology to treat other eye diseases in the future.
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As a Tech Industry expert, I believe that the idea of a solar implant with AI to help blind people read again is both innovative and promising. The combination of solar power and artificial intelligence has the potential to greatly improve the quality of life for visually impaired individuals by providing them with a means to access written information independently.
The use of solar power as a source of energy for the implant is a sustainable and efficient solution, ensuring that the device remains powered without the need for frequent battery replacements. Additionally, the integration of AI technology can help to enhance the functionality of the implant, allowing for more accurate and efficient reading capabilities.
Overall, I believe that this technology has the potential to significantly improve the independence and quality of life for blind individuals, and I am excited to see how it develops and is implemented in the future.
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