Elon Musk-run brain-computer interface company Neuralink has received the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) “breakthrough device” designation for its experimental vision-restoring implant, Blindsight.
Musk, who shared this development in a post on X, claimed that Blindsight could potentially restore vision to people who have lost both eyes and their optic nerves.
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“The Blindsight device from Neuralink will enable even those who have lost both eyes and their optic nerve to see. Provided the visual cortex is intact, it will even enable those who have been blind from birth to see for the first time,” the tech billionaire wrote.
“To set expectations correctly, the vision will be at first be low resolution, like Atari graphics, but eventually it has the potential be better than natural vision and enable you to see in infrared, ultraviolet or even radar wavelengths, like Geordi La Forge,” he added.
Presently, the Blindsight implant has not undergone human testing, and neither Neuralink nor the FDA have given a timeline for its development.
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Blindsight is an implant that utilizes a microelectrode array implanted in the visual cortex of the brain. The array activates neurons in response to input from a camera, aiming to produce visual experiences for people who are blind. Earlier this year, Musk claimed that the device is already functioning in monkeys and provides resolution similar to the graphics seen in early Nintendo graphics.
Musk launched Neuralink in 2016. The company has been developing brain-computer interface technology to treat neurological disorders. It previously announced plans to use its brain chip to help disabled patients communicate and move by thought alone.