The latest implant by Neuralink is Blindsight which seeks to relay sight on blind patients. This technology has also been recognized by the FDA as a breakthrough device, and that means that enhanced clinical examination will have to be conducted to access futuristic solution for involuntary patients.
Neuralink: a further step in tact in the process of trying to restore sight.
Neuralink, Elon Musk’s neural technology company, has reported that its investigational Blindsight implant has been recognised as a ‘breakthrough device’ by the FDA. This device is being developed with the view of helping blind people to be able to see again.
A “revolutionary device”
Also, the FDA’s “Breakthrough Devices” program creates a chance for the interaction with the agency’s controversies during the market screening phase for manufacturers. Another example of the FDA categorisation is the focus on the faster review of the breakthrough devices that can also facilitate the advancement of a particular technology. According to the data of 2020, 145 medical devices got this status.
Blindsight and Telepathy: a case of two distinct projects
Notably, Blindsight is different from Telepathy where other Neuralink implant enables the patients with spinal cord injuries to control computers using thoughts to play games and design objects in 3D.
Bold promises
Elon Musk has gone as far as making some outrageous statements about Blindsight where he promised that even ‘the blind who cannot even see light as they have lost their eyes and optic nerve can see. “He went further and said that “the first is very low resolution, but it has to be better than natural vision and will let you see in infrared, ultraviolet or radar, ”in other words, Blindsight could be more advanced than real
Though, as it has been indicated at TechCrunch, it is improbable that Blindsight or similar technologies will ever help people who were born blind since they did not develop the biological ability to see through their eyes.