Innovative Device Offers Partial Sight to the Blind

When it comes to innovations, especially technological ones, it’s always exciting. But when those innovations promise to revolutionize a field—that’s something extraordinary. Such is the Brain Port, recently approved in the U.S.—a product of an American company that's expected to aid millions of blind individuals worldwide according to scientific and medical assessments.

With this ingenious device, blind individuals can function independently, even walking alone without the help of guide dogs or other assistance. So how does this breakthrough work, and what sets it apart from other scientific inventions? The answer is simple: a camera mounted on a pair of glasses captures the scenery in real-time, then transfers the images to a control device the size of a long smartphone. The control device translates these images into signals, which are sent to a tiny electrode connected to the tongue, transmitting the signals to the brain.

BRAIN PORT glasses

In simple terms: Camera glasses capture images - images are sent to a control device - images are translated into signals - signals are sent to the tongue device - signals are transmitted to the brain - where the brain’s vision center partially reconstructs the images.

Control device

Dozens of blind individuals have already used this invention, and incredible feats have been achieved: one succeeded in climbing a mountain and identifying protrusions and hazards independently, while others navigated mazes with concrete walls and various obstacles with great success. The news is very promising. "Such medical development will help millions," stated Dr. William Maisel, head of the science department at the FDA. "It's crucial to continue advancing technology like this, which will help millions of the blind live better lives."

A blind person trying out the revolutionary device

And what about our small country—have Israeli blind individuals heard about this exciting development? It seems so, as about 25 thousand people with blindness and various degrees of visual impairment are already on the waiting list.