UPenn scientists create replacement retina on a chip

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have developed a new silicon chip that could be "embedded directly into the eye and connected to the nerves that carry signals to the brain's visual cortex," reports New Scientist. The chip aims to help people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, which is the gradual death of one's retinal cells, those really useful bits of organic matter that convert light into nerve impulses for the brain to process. Previous attempts at solving this biological conundrum have often gone the route of using a video camera usually connected to a tiny computer to process the signal, which is then attached to the optic nerve. If Penn's research works, it would let this chip be directly implanted into the eye -- with a direct connection to the optic nerve -- removing the need for an external camera. Even better, this new version also mimics the way a healthy retina adjusts to light intensity, contrast, and even movement. The next step is to reducing the size and power consumption of the chip before clinical trials can get going.

[Via New Scientist]

[Dario @ Oct 21st 2006 12:20PM]

this is soo kool. one step closer for me to become a cyborg in the future so i can live forever.

[IrishGandalf @ Oct 21st 2006 12:34PM]

i for one welcome our enhanced 20/20 vision, forever living cyborg overlords!

[ByronGman @ Oct 21st 2006 12:52PM]

"The next step is to reducing the size and power consumption of the chip before clinical trials can get going."

Errrm.... are we forgetting about X-ray vision? Come on Engadget, where's the inner geek?

[zach m @ Oct 21st 2006 12:57PM]

... and they say China and Japan are taking all of the technologic glory these days?

[ExcavatE @ Oct 21st 2006 1:18PM]

It's really nice to see that there really is some good still happening in the world !

[shirizaki @ Oct 21st 2006 1:43PM]

Finally, blind people everywhere will be able to have the gift of sight.


I CAN FIANLLY SEE!
*waits 3 seconds*
*goes to strip club*

[Chris @ Oct 21st 2006 2:26PM]

power consumption is always the killer. "great i can see, but I have lug this 5 lb battery around and plug in every night." if they can get it low enough to run of sugar in the blood, that would be pretty awesome

[John Doe @ Oct 21st 2006 2:36PM]

I need to e-mail this to a friend who has this degenerative disease. Hope is a "good thing".

[-Tj- @ Oct 21st 2006 2:58PM]

My mom has retinitis pigmentosa. She has no peripheral vision because of it. Standing 45 degrees in front of her she can't even tell I'm there. If this works, this will be great news to her.

[thirdprophet @ Oct 21st 2006 3:02PM]

This is a good vein of research, and though it will most likely take years before any headway or viable solutions come out of it, the hope that it brings for the future is inspiring.

But all I can think of is Ghost in the Shell. :p

[chaoticset @ Oct 21st 2006 4:27PM]

Enhanced vision, or getting one's eyes hacked?

[Matt @ Oct 21st 2006 4:06PM]

Resistance is futile

[thirdprophet @ Oct 21st 2006 4:34PM]

Both?

After being disqualified from Combat Arms trades in the Canadian Forces due to my terrible eyesight, I can't help but dream about having cybernetic implants for eyes like Batou's Ranger-specific modifications. Throw on top of that all sorts of new complications like visual interceptors or "getting your eyes stolen"... it's a whole new digital world.

[chaoticset @ Oct 21st 2006 4:45PM]

I was trying to be facetious, although I could see both. (Although the really bare-bones systems won't be as easily hacked because they'll be hardcoded and untouchable. Advanced systems that include integrated processing and output handling...those will be quite vulnerable.)

[John @ Oct 21st 2006 4:37PM]

This is great news, because even though I'm fairly young (in my early 20's) my eyesight is failing horribly. (It was in the 20/200's over a year ago.) I can't wait to see this how this technology develops and improves.

- John

[Russ @ Oct 21st 2006 11:40PM]

Maybe the MPAA will co-finance these if they prevent you from viewing pirated content?

[Balagan @ Oct 22nd 2006 12:13AM]

Maybe solar powered........we generally only use our eyes when we have light. maybe they could integrate see through solar cells which could overlay the chip.

[Notorious @ Oct 22nd 2006 9:18AM]

This is friggin' AWESOME!! If they can craft a piece of silicon in the optic nerve, they might also bond it with any neural tissue. Meaning, forget the keyboard or mouse, even the monitor! Control it all directly with your brain!!

[Bonnie Harper @ Oct 22nd 2006 4:04PM]

I also have a brother that has RP. He had to quit work several years ago because of it but this would be a wonderful blessing if we could get it done for him.

[Paul @ Oct 22nd 2006 4:25PM]

I actually have RP and really I'm more excited by the prospects of gene therapies stem stem cell research. I believe that eventually we will see an implant like this that will provide ambulatory sight, but I just don't see how artificial retinal technology can simulate real sight. There are numerous problems.

First is simply the resolution. We'd have to come up with a chip with essentually cellular sized receptors to come close to matching the resolution of the human eye.

Second (and perhaps most challenging) is the tweaking of the electrical impulses generated by such a device so as to simulate the immensely complex levels and degrees electro-chemical impulses generated by retinal cells when stimulated by light. Simulating brightness and color seems quite difficult.

Third is peripheral coverage. A single chip may be able to provide five to ten degree coverage (okay for ambulatory sight), but to get seamless 180 degree coverage will require many separate implants or a single, large, contact lense shaped implant. Possible, perhaps.

Fourth, of course, is power. Solar is a possibility, but for low-light scenarios would seem to be difficult to get enough sensitivity in the solar cells to be able to generate sufficient power to stimulate the optic nerve.

I think that perhaps these can all be overcome eventually. However, I personally believe that more biological solutions will precede a technological one.

Oh, and for those of you with rapidly failing eyesight, it is much more likely that you are experiencing problems with your lense than with your retina. An artificial retina probably won't help most people much. Lasik, permanently implanted contact lenses, and other fore-eye solutions are likely to be much more helpful and certainly more practical given today's technology.

That said, this is a very positive step forward in this line of research, and it is exciting to watch. If I lose my sight fully before better, full-sight restoring solutions are devised, I'll be first in line to sign up for trials.

Paul