Hardware Podcasts

On the Verge of Artificial Vision

EE Times Current · 8 Oct 2021 · 38m

What this episode covers

Philip Troyk, CEO of Sigenics and head of the Pritzker Institute at Illinois Tech, explains the development of a wireless intracortical visual prosthesis designed to restore vision to the blind. The system uses floating microelectrode arrays made of iridium to stimulate the occipital lobe, bypassing damaged eyes and optic nerves to create phosphenes. Troyk details the transition from early wired NIH prototypes to a fully wireless, inductively powered ASIC chip, highlighting the engineering challenges of biocompatibility and signal mapping. The project, funded by the NIH and involving partners like Johns Hopkins and Microprobes, is currently recruiting volunteers for clinical trials to test the interface's ability to convey artificial vision data.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Sigenics, Illinois Institute of Technology, NVIDIA, Intel, ASML, Johns Hopkins, Microprobes
Materials
Iridium
Also
Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering, Rob Spence, Giles Brindley, Peter Donaldson

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