Blind will get a chance to see, but not with their eyes, instead with their tongues. A device called BrainPort which was first introduced in 2006 has made this possible; allowing the blinds to regain some vision by means of a camera and electrical impulses sent to the tongue.
The BrainPort needs the user to wear a camera on the head and a lollipop-like electrode array in the mouth, as shown in the picture. The camera captures images and sends it to BrainPort to decode the signals, which are then transformed into electrical pulses that will hit the tongue of the user gently. These impulses are then experienced as spatial awareness and even an ability of reading text.
The BrainPort is still waiting for FDA approval, and should be available early next year if everything goes smoothly. But the price of this device is a bit of problem here, as it’ll fall in the $10,000 range, which is a price not many could afford.
via slashgear
August 17th, 2009 at 7:41 am
[...] price. If it does the job as described on the tin it could be well worth that $10K though. Via: TechChee You can receive our articles for free in your email inbox. For more gadgets, technology, news [...]