Microchip in the Eye could Restore Vision …and eventual Borg Assimilation!

More like ‘will restore vision’, with human prototype trials said to begin within three years. It’s only a matter of time …Can someone read that out loud to them please.

A chip inside the eye that can help blind people see again is moving closer to reality as researchers at MIT work on a retinal implant that can bypass damaged cells and directly offer visual input to the brain.

Patients who receive the implant will wear a pair of glasses that has a tiny camera attached to it. The camera will send images to a microchip implanted in the eyeball that channels the input to the brain.

It won’t entirely restore normal vision, say the researchers, but it will offer just enough sight to help a blind person navigate a room. [Wired/GadgetLab]

Damn it! I scare myself sometimes with my six-degrees-of-separational superstition. A science fiction Borg Star Trek reference and the man that played Captain James T. Kirk, Chris Pine in a movie about being blind and ‘looking’ for love:

I WATCHED THIS SILLY MOVE LAST WEEKEND! [It’s lame, save your money] But the science behind restoring vision was portrayed accurately. We see with our brains.

Oh and just to show you how in tune I am with my thematic six-degrees ability, my next post features LeVar Burton [classic miniseries ROOTS], who you geeks should recognise as Lieutenant Junior Grade Geordi La Forge from Star Trek: The Next Generation.