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tag-richard-palmer tag-video"> <header class="entry-header"> <h1 class="entry-title">A Future Where Blindness Is No Barrier: The Smart Bionic Eye</h1> <div class="entry-meta"> <span class="posted-on">Posted on <a href="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/2024/10/16/a-future-where-blindness-is-no-barrier-the-smart-bionic-eye/" rel="bookmark"><time class="entry-date published" datetime="2024-10-16T11:00:00-04:00">October 16, 2024</time><time class="updated" datetime="2024-10-16T10:56:58-04:00">October 16, 2024</time></a></span><span class="byline"> by <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/author/nlmguestauthor/">Guest Author</a></span></span> </div> </header> <a class="post-thumbnail" href="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/2024/10/16/a-future-where-blindness-is-no-barrier-the-smart-bionic-eye/"> <img loading="lazy" width="648" height="262" src="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A-Future-Where-Blindness-Is-No-Barrier-The-Smart-Bionic-Eye-featured-image-648x262.jpg" class="attachment-edin-featured-image size-edin-featured-image wp-post-image" alt="" decoding="async" loading="lazy" srcset="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A-Future-Where-Blindness-Is-No-Barrier-The-Smart-Bionic-Eye-featured-image-648x262.jpg 648w, https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A-Future-Where-Blindness-Is-No-Barrier-The-Smart-Bionic-Eye-featured-image-768x310.jpg 768w, https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A-Future-Where-Blindness-Is-No-Barrier-The-Smart-Bionic-Eye-featured-image-1536x621.jpg 1536w, https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A-Future-Where-Blindness-Is-No-Barrier-The-Smart-Bionic-Eye-featured-image-475x192.jpg 475w, https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A-Future-Where-Blindness-Is-No-Barrier-The-Smart-Bionic-Eye-featured-image.jpg 2000w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 648px) 100vw, 648px" data-attachment-id="13822" data-permalink="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/2024/10/16/a-future-where-blindness-is-no-barrier-the-smart-bionic-eye/a-future-where-blindness-is-no-barrier-the-smart-bionic-eye-featured-image/" data-orig-file="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A-Future-Where-Blindness-Is-No-Barrier-The-Smart-Bionic-Eye-featured-image.jpg" data-orig-size="2000,808" data-comments-opened="1" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"0","credit":"","camera":"","caption":"","created_timestamp":"0","copyright":"","focal_length":"0","iso":"0","shutter_speed":"0","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="A Future Where Blindness Is No Barrier- The Smart Bionic Eye featured image" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="" data-medium-file="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A-Future-Where-Blindness-Is-No-Barrier-The-Smart-Bionic-Eye-featured-image.jpg" data-large-file="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/A-Future-Where-Blindness-Is-No-Barrier-The-Smart-Bionic-Eye-featured-image.jpg" /> </a> <div class="entry-content"> <div id="wtr-content" data-bg="#FFFFFF" data-fg="#ea8c2e" data-width="10" data-mute="1" data-fgopacity="0.5" data-mutedopacity="0.5" data-placement="bottom" data-placement-offset="0" data-content-offset="0" data-placement-touch="top" data-placement-offset-touch="0" data-transparent="" data-shadow="1" data-touch="1" data-non-touch="1" data-comments="0" data-commentsbg="#ffcece" data-location="page" data-mutedfg="#f44813" data-endfg="#f44813" data-rtl="" > <p><em>Guest post by Richard Palmer, DrPH, JD, Acting Director of the Division of Extramural Programs, NLM.</em></p> <p>Imagine a world where blindness no longer limits daily life—a world where those who are blind or with low vision can more easily navigate their surroundings, recognize faces, and respond to sudden visual cues in their environment. This vision is becoming a reality thanks to groundbreaking advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) and neuroprosthetic technology.</p> <p>The concept of a “bionic eye” or visual prosthesis—devices that aim to create useful, artificial sight by stimulating the retina or visual cortex with implanted electrodes, whether in the retina or in the brain—isn’t new. However, the current technology often results in a grainy, low-resolution image that falls short of providing meaningful visual information.</p> <p>A pioneering team of researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), led by associate professor <a href="https://psych.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/michael-beyeler" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dr. Michael Beyeler</a> and supported by NLM and NIH’s <a href="https://commonfund.nih.gov/highrisk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Common Fund High Risk, High Reward Research program</a>, is set to transform this technology with their ambitious project to develop a “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlpG_WRLfw0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Smart Bionic Eye</a>.” <a href="https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03344848" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Orion device</a> will feature advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms that interpret visual data from a camera and translate it into useful signals for the brain. AI will extract relevant visual features from natural scene and construct practical artificial vision that the brain can interpret, bridging the gap between natural vision and visual daily tasks in the real world. The categorization is made via audio from an external device—for instance, through a cell phone—and is a supplement to already existing technology. This additional information could allow people using the device to recognize objects, identify people, and navigate their environment with newfound ease.</p> <p>The potential impact of a successful smart bionic eye is profound. It could enhance the lives of millions globally by breaking down barriers that many people with blindness and low vision face every day. This innovative project represents just one aspect of NLM’s investment in projects that aim to improve health, lengthen life, and enhance quality of life. To learn more about NLM’s extramural research investment and funding opportunities, please visit the <a href="https://www.nlm.nih.gov/ep/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NLM Division of Extramural Programs</a>.</p> <center><iframe loading="lazy" width="1000" height="563" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vlpG_WRLfw0?si=xYDE2SdsuvEbpHbn" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></center> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlpG_WRLfw0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Towards a Smart Bionic Eye (Audio Described Version) | YouTube</a></p> <p>Transcript: [Michael Beyeler]* <em>There are up to 6 million people worldwide who live with profound blindness, and the idea of a visual prosthesis is really to replace lost functionality with an implant. Even though these devices are already out there, the vision they can provide is rather limited.</em></p> <p>[Jason Esterhuizen]** <em>What I see is nothing like the vision I had before. It’s a totally new way of seeing or interpreting vision.</em></p> <p>[Beyeler] <em>The goal of this project is to build what I like to call a smart bionic eye, which is the idea of combining AI smarts with a visual prosthesis for people who are blind. Rather than working towards one day restoring natural vision, would it be better to find ways to provide practical and useful artificial vision today?</em></p> <p>[Beyeler] <em>So these are the glasses that come with the Argus II as well as the Orion device. You can see a small miniature camera here in the front.</em></p> <p>[Esterhuizen] <em>This is the coil (of electrical wiring that produces a directed electromagnetic field) that you attach, and this coil communicates to the device implanted in your brain.</em></p> <p>[Beyeler] <em>So the (Orion) implant only has a six-by-ten electrode grid. I move my finger in front, and you can see that there is motion, but it’s really hard to pick up any shapes.</em></p> <p>[Esterhuizen] <em>When I look over there, I see a very bright light coming in. That might be the sliding door. And then all of the dark gaps that I see, those might be objects in the room. </em></p> <p>[Esterhuizen] <em>This is where Dr. Beyeler’s work would play a very crucial role into filling these gaps for me. I can see something, but I don’t know what it is. But with AI or with object recognition technology integrated into this device, I would be able to look at it and it would be able to tell me: that’s a human, that’s a car, that’s a trashcan, whatever.</em></p> <p>[Beyeler] <em>The important part of our approach is that it shouldn’t just be me, a sighted researcher sitting in my office thinking about what would be helpful, but to actually incorporate the help of these bionic eye users and blind researchers at all stages of the development.</em></p> <p>[Lucas Gil Nadolskis]*** <em>A lot of research that has been done for blind people has been done by sighted people, and the problems with that vary, the main one being that sighted people don’t know the challenges that we have. You know, the target population is blind people. It doesn’t matter if it looks cool on paper; it needs to be useful.</em></p> <p>[Beyeler] <em>A big advantage of our approach is that we are using virtual reality. The current implants produce a very limited field of view, so it’s like watching TV from across the room. Putting the goggles on myself, I could really experience that and realize how hard this really is.</em></p> <p>[Esterhuizen] <em>If a smart bionic eye gets developed through this research, it’s going to change the life of millions of people around the world, not just myself. And blindness will not be an issue anymore.</em></p> <p>[Nadolskis] <em>It’s my life’s work, right? It’s more than research. For a lot of people working with this, it’s a cool little project. For me, it’s deeply personal. It’s the goal of my life.</em></p> <p>[Beyeler] <em>I think this research would not have been possible without the support of the National Library of Medicine or the National Institutes of Health simply because of its scope and its difficulty. But we do believe that we have put the groundwork in to make this happen.</em></p> <p>*Transcript edited for clarity.</p> <p>**Jason Esterhuizen is a participant in the <a href="https://reporter.nih.gov/search/Pc9POVKMYEKSZDKGgOGmag/project-details/10473346" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Towards a Smart Bionic Eye</a> clinical trial. In 2012, at the age of 23, he was involved in a car accident that left him totally blind. <a href="https://www.nnlm.gov/podcast/towards-a-smart-bionic-eye" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Learn more about Mr. Esterhuizen and his experience</a>.</p> <p>***Lucas Gil Nadolskis is a PhD student in Dynamic Neuroscience at UCSB. He is also blind and an advocate for inclusive science and accessibility. <a href="https://bionicvisionlab.org/people/gil_nadolskis_lucas/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Learn more about Mr. Nadolskis</a>.</p> <div style="height:20px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div> <div class="wp-block-uagb-team uagb-team__image-position-left uagb-team__align-left uagb-team__stack-tablet uagb-block-0ebd4c08"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="uagb-team__image-crop-circle" src="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Palmer-Richard-headshot-e1672346762558-150x150.jpeg?crop=1" alt="" height="200" width="200" loading="lazy"/><div class="uagb-team__content"><h3 class="uagb-team__title"><a href="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/tag/richard-palmer">Richard Palmer, DrPH, JD</a></h3><span class="uagb-team__prefix">Acting Director, Division of Extramural Programs, NLM</span><p class="uagb-team__desc">Dr. Palmer oversees NLM’s grant programs for research, resources, workforce development, and small businesses related to biomedical informatics and data science. Prior to joining NLM, Dr. Palmer was a Health Scientist Administrator at the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. He has over 25 years of extramural research experience and has been an investigator on NIH- and CDC-funded research grants. Dr. Palmer has conducted research to enhance patient care standards, improve clinician-patient decision-making, and achieve cost-effective chronic disease management.</p></div></div> <div style="height:20px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div> <p></p> </div><div class='sharedaddy sd-block sd-like jetpack-likes-widget-wrapper jetpack-likes-widget-unloaded' id='like-post-wrapper-119132960-13814-67b395647132e' data-src='https://widgets.wp.com/likes/?ver=14.4-a.3#blog_id=119132960&post_id=13814&origin=nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov&obj_id=119132960-13814-67b395647132e&n=1' data-name='like-post-frame-119132960-13814-67b395647132e' data-title='Like or Reblog'><h3 class="sd-title">Like this:</h3><div class='likes-widget-placeholder post-likes-widget-placeholder' style='height: 55px;'><span class='button'><span>Like</span></span> <span class="loading">Loading...</span></div><span class='sd-text-color'></span><a class='sd-link-color'></a></div> <div id='jp-relatedposts' class='jp-relatedposts' > <h3 class="jp-relatedposts-headline"><em>Related posts:</em></h3> </div> </div> <footer class="entry-footer"> <span class="cat-links">Posted in <a href="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/category/nlm-technology/artificial-intelligence/" rel="category tag">Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning</a>, <a href="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/category/nlm-technology/" rel="category tag">NLM Technology</a>, <a href="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/category/practices/research-practices/" rel="category tag">Research Practices</a></span><span class="tags-links">Tagged <a href="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/tag/bionic-eye/" rel="tag">bionic eye</a>, <a href="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/tag/extramural-research/" rel="tag">extramural research</a>, <a href="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/tag/jason-esterhuizen/" rel="tag">Jason Esterhuizen</a>, <a href="https://nlmdirector.nlm.nih.gov/tag/lucas-gil-nadolskis/" rel="tag">Lucas Gil Nadolskis</a>, <a 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