
Vision Quest - signa11
http://www.stevenkotler.com/node/49
======
plinkplonk
Wow! Assuming this is true and not journalist license, this is real Hacking.
Get a 1024 * 1024 resolution on that thing and millions of blind people will
get a chance to see again to live a normal life.

 _"With the power shut off, the view is complete darkness. Weiland flips a
switch and asks me what I see.

"Vague gray shapes. Big dots. Blurry edges." "Can you see the door? Could you
walk to the door?" "Yeah, I could, if you want me to trip over things and fall
down." "That's a 5-by-5 display. Hold on," says Weiland, "I'm going to up your
pixel count to 32 by 32."

It's Weiland's belief that a 32-by-32 array, 1,024 pixels, should satisfy most
vision needs. This is probably 10 times the count on Dobelle's implant and
much closer to Normann's design.

Beside me I can hear Weiland futzing with the computer. There's a sudden wash
of light, like viewing the Star Wars jump to hyperspace through a waterfall.

"Can you see now?" "Not really." "Give it a minute, let yourself adjust." "OK,
I've got blobs and edges and motion."

Suddenly, things become clearer. What moments ago was attack of the Jell-O
creatures has become doorways and faces.

"What happened?" I ask. "Did you up the resolution again?" "No," says Weiland,
"that's your brain learning to see."

It's a weird feeling, watching my brain reorganize itself, but that's exactly
what's happening. Beside me the fuzzy edge of the counter becomes a strong
line, and then the computer atop it snaps into place.

I take one last glance around. Weiland is still not visible. Then there is a
subtle shift in color. A drizzle of gray firms up, and I can see the white
plane of his forehead offset by the darkness of his hair.

I look around: door, desk, computer, person.

So this is what a miracle looks like."_

------
mgw
Does anyone have a link to an article detailing the work that has been done
since that time? Where do we stand now?

~~~
MaysonL
Here's a starting point (the Department of Energy's [and why _they_ are
funding this, I have no idea] Artificial Retina Project)
<http://www.artificialretina.energy.gov/papers.shtml>

------
gojomo
[2002]

Link at Wired, with pictures:

<http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/10.09/vision.html>

The researcher named, William Dobelle, died in 2004:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_H._Dobelle>

