Visual Prosthesis
A. Introduction
We believe that the development of a prosthetic device based on electrical
stimulation of primary visual cortex involves the following major tasks:
- Use of an animal model, such as the rhesus monkey, in which the effects
of electrical stimulation of primary visual cortex can be studied in
extensive detail.
- Assessment of the visual percepts elicited by electrical stimulation
in the rhesus monkey applying electrical stimulation to single and multiple
sites with systematic variation of stimulation parameters.
- Determining what happens to implanted arrays over time. This is essential
as an effective device must have longevity.
- Developing an optimal method for converting visual images into electrical
impulses. The signals generated by a camera or other kind of imaging
device has to be coverted into electrical impulses that can selectively
activate implanted electrode arrays to provide spatio-temporal signals
that can convey basic sensory impressions.
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