The company has developed a new neuroimplant that has helped blind people regain their eyesight.
The Russian company Sensor-Tech Laboratory, a Skolkovo resident, has developed a new ELVIS implant: it consists of a chip that is connected to the human brain and stimulates it with small current discharges; there are also two cameras that analyze what is happening around. The development of the device began two years ago, since then the implant has been tested on volunteers.
ELVIS is intended for those who have lost their eyesight, but could see before, that is, had a visual experience. There are no strict health indications for the implant, however, it has not yet been experimentally proven that people who are unable to see from birth may develop visual images.
According to the director of “Sensor-Tech” Denis Kuleshov, the picture from the camera is reduced to a size of 10×10 pixels and transmitted in black and white to the brain. This will not allow you to see the details, but will give general visual information and an idea of \ u200b \ u200bthe contours of objects.
In contrast to the sighted, who receives visual images thanks to the eye, in the blind, the brain adjusts to new information that goes directly to the visual cortex through electrical stimulation. In addition, every day a person is better able to distinguish objects in front of him.
The ELVIS system components are now being tested on rodents, and then they will be carried out on monkeys.
