Yesterday, September 17 2024, California based Science and Technology company, Neuralink, received Breakthrough Device Designation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Blindsight. Blindsight, a device which could potentially restore vision to those who have lost it or to those who were born blind was given the approval from the FDA as a way of saying the device could be a game-changer, hence it is necessary to fast-track it by the administration.
The company, in its quest to restore vision to the visually impaired opened applications for their Patient Registry and openings on their career page.
Neuralink recorded early progress with their second participant in August and are set for greater achievements this month. The first human to have a Neuralink device implanted in his brain was Noland Arbaugh, which recorded less success.
Earlier, sometime in August the company, in a conversation between its team and Elon Musk highlighted the future of humanity and its wide range of interests which includes Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, Neuralink implants, Consciousness, amongst several others.
The posts on X (formerly twitter) has received a great mix of awe and excitement. People are buzzing about the potential it holds for the blind especially those born blind being able to see for the first time or to others who have lost their sight. “It’s like something out of a sci-fi movie, but it is happening, or at least, it’s on its way.” An anonymous speaker commented.
While the specifics of how the device works inside the brain are still under wraps (or rather under the skull), it is known to involve electrodes and some fancy neural decoding; translating brainwaves into visual information.
Despite the excitement, there is a reality check from some corners as high-resolution vision might still be a distant dream due to the complexities of the way the human brain processes visual information.
Looking forward, Neuralink is not just going to stop at vision as they are also working on helping paralyzed people control devices with their thoughts.
