Is it possible to distinguish an artificial eye from a real one? Not in the eyebrow, but in the eye
Artificial vision is increasingly becoming a reality in both science and medicine - writers of science fiction novels never dreamed of this. Last summer, the first artificial retinas made from silicon were implanted in three blind patients. All three suffered almost total loss vision caused by retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an eye disease that damages night and peripheral vision. They left the hospital the day after the operation.
The artificial silicon retina (ASR, from artificial silicon retina) was invented by the founders of Optobionics, brothers Vincent and Alan Chow. ASR is a chip with a diameter of 2 mm and a thickness less than a human hair. About 3,500 microscopic solar cells are placed on a silicon wafer, which convert light into electrical impulses.
The microcircuit, created to replace damaged photoreceptors - the light-sensitive elements of the eye that convert light into electrical signals in a healthy eye - is powered by external light and does not have batteries or wires. Artificial silicon retina surgically is implanted under the patient's retina, in the so-called subretinal space, and generates visual signals similar to those produced by the biological photoreceptor layer.
In reality, ASR works with photoreceptors that have not yet lost the ability to function. “If the chip can interact with them for some long time, then we are moving towards the goal on the right path,” Alan Chow is sure.
People suffering from retinitis pigmentosa gradually lose photoreceptors. In general, this is the collective name for many eye diseases, as a result of which the photoreceptor layer is destroyed.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD, from age-related macular degeneration), according to the Chow brothers, can also be corrected using an artificial silicon retina. Spots on the cornea are a consequence of aging, but the exact cause is not yet known. More than 30 million of the world's population suffer from such diseases, and they often lead to incurable blindness.
To date, ASR has not been able to treat glaucoma, which is associated with nerve damage, and does not help diabetes, which leads to retinal scarring. The artificial retina is powerless for concussions and other brain injuries.
“Now we are trying to figure out where to move next,” the Chow brothers say about their plans. “Once you can decide, you can experiment with changing the parameters.”
Natural and artificial vision
The process of “seeing” can be compared to the operation of a camera. In a camera, light rays pass through a set of lenses that focus the image onto the film. In a healthy eye, light rays pass through the cornea and lens, which focuses the image on the retina, which is a layer of light-sensitive elements lining the back surface eyes.
The macula is the area of the retina that receives and processes detailed images and sends them to the brain along the optic nerve. The multi-layer spot ensures that the images we see highest degree permissions. If the spot is damaged, vision deteriorates. What to do in this case? Enter ASR.
Thousands of microscopic ASR elements are connected to an electrode that converts incoming light images into pulses. These elements stimulate the remaining functional elements of the retina and produce visual signals similar to those generated by a healthy eye. The "artificial" signals can then be processed and sent along the optic nerve to the brain.
In animal experiments in the 1980s, the Chow brothers stimulated the ASR with infrared light and recorded the retinal response. But animals, unfortunately, cannot speak, so it is unknown what actually happened.
More significant results
About three years ago, the brothers collected enough data to contact the Office of Nutrition and medicines for permission to conduct clinical experiments involving humans. Three patients aged from 45 to 75 years were selected as candidates, for a long time suffering from retinal blindness.
“We selected people with the most severe impairments, so that if they manage to see at least something, the results will be the most encouraging,” Alan Chow said about the experiment. “We wanted to start as soon as possible, we were only worried about too hasty conclusions that could be drawn as a result of the experiments.”
The creators of the artificial retina emphasize that at the moment their device is not able to help patients see the way healthy people do.
“We can talk about a brilliant result if the density of the elements is sufficient for patients to see moving objects. Ideally, they need to be able to recognize the shapes and outlines of objects,” says Larry Blankenship, managing director of Optobionics.
The inventors are not afraid of implant rejection. “Once the artificial retina is implanted, there is a vacuum around it, which is quite predictable,” Chow said. It can already be argued that the artificial silicon retina is a monumental scientific achievement, which will help to permanently get rid of the threat of some forms of blindness.
Bionic eye - what is it? This is exactly the question that arises among people who first encountered this term. In this article we will answer it in detail. So let's get started.
Definition
A bionic eye is a device that allows the blind to distinguish a number of visual objects and compensate to a certain extent for the lack of vision. Surgeons implant it into the damaged eye as a retinal prosthesis. Thus, they supplement the intact neurons preserved in the retina with artificial photoreceptors.
Operating principle
The bionic eye consists of a polymer matrix equipped with photodiodes. It detects even weak electrical impulses and transmits them to nerve cells. That is, the signals are converted into electrical form and affect neurons that are preserved in the retina. The polymer matrix has alternatives: an infrared sensor, a video camera, special glasses. The listed devices can restore the function of peripheral and central vision.
The video camera built into the glasses records the image and sends it to the converter processor. And he, in turn, converts the signal and sends it to the receiver and photosensor, which is implanted into the retina of the patient’s eye. And only then the electrical impulses are transmitted to the patient’s brain through the optic nerve.
Specifics of image perception
Over the years of research, the bionic eye has undergone many changes and improvements. In early models, the image was transmitted from a video camera directly to the patient's eye. The signal was recorded on the photosensor matrix and received via nerve cells into the brain. But there was one drawback in this process - the difference in the perception of the image by the camera and the eyeball. That is, they did not work synchronously.
Another approach was as follows: first, the video information was sent to a computer, which converted visible image into infrared pulses. They were reflected from the lenses of the glasses and hit the photosensors through the lens into the retina. Naturally, the patient cannot see IR rays. But their effect is similar to the process of obtaining an image. In other words, a perceptible space is formed in front of a person with bionic eyes. And it happens like this: the image received from the active photoreceptors of the eye is superimposed on the image from the camera and projected onto the retina.
New standards
Every year, biomedical technologies are developing by leaps and bounds. IN this moment are going to introduce a new standard for artificial vision systems. This is a matrix, each side of which will contain 500 photocells (9 years ago there were only 16). Although, if we draw an analogy with the human eye, which contains 120 million rods and 7 million cones, the potential for further growth becomes clear. It is worth noting that information is transmitted to the brain through millions of nerve endings, and then the retina processes them independently.
Argus II
This bionic eye was designed and made in the USA by Clairvoyance. 130 patients with retinitis pigmentosa took advantage of its capabilities. Argus II consists of two parts: a mini-video camera built into the glasses and an implant. All objects in the surrounding world are recorded on camera and transmitted to the implant through a processor wirelessly. Well, the implant, using electrodes, activates the patient’s retinal cells, sending information directly to optic nerve.
Users of the bionic eye can clearly distinguish between horizontal and vertical lines within a week. In the future, the quality of vision through this device only increases. Argus II costs £150,000. However, research does not stop, as developers receive various cash grants. Naturally, artificial eyes are still quite imperfect. But scientists are doing everything to improve the quality of the transmitted image.
Bionic eye in Russia
The first patient to have the device implanted in our country was 59-year-old Chelyabinsk resident Alexander Ulyanov. The operation lasted for 6 hours Scientific and clinical center otorhinolaryngology FMBA. The best ophthalmologists in the country monitored the patient’s rehabilitation period. During this time, electrical impulses were regularly sent to the chip installed by Ulyanov and the reaction was monitored. Alexander showed excellent results.
Of course, it does not distinguish colors and does not perceive numerous objects accessible to a healthy eye. The world Ulyanov sees blurry and in black and white. But this is enough for him to be absolutely happy. After all, for the last 20 years the man was generally blind. And now his life has been completely changed by the installed bionic eye. The cost of the operation in Russia is 150 thousand rubles. Well, plus the price of the eye itself, which was indicated above. For now, the device is being produced only in America, but over time, analogues should appear in Russia.
The eye itself is located in a hole called the orbit. The shape of the eye is most similar to an apple, which is why the name “eyeball” has become widespread. Through the gap between the bottom and upper eyelid the eye socket protrudes slightly outward, but most of the eye is inside. Inside the eye there is a small black circle, which is commonly called the pupil. Scientists have proven that when you are in the dark for a long time, the pupil dilates, and when exposed to bright light, on the contrary, it narrows. This occurs with the assistance of a muscle located inside the eye, on the iris. If you don’t know what an iris is, then we hasten to tell you that it is a small colored ring that is located around the entire pupil.
The black color of the pupil is explained by the fact that there is always emptiness inside the eye. At the back, just like in the camera film, there are several light-sensitive cells. This layer, like a net, catches rays of light. The name of this layer of cells is retina. Inside it there are at least 140 million cells that are extremely sensitive to light. When light hits them, various chemical reactions begin to occur inside them, instantly turning into an impulse. Moving along the optic nerve, this impulse reaches the very center of the brain. Then the brain produces a signal and only after that we begin to understand what we see. Thus, we have just described how the human eye sees. The structure of the eye The lens is entirely responsible for the clarity of the image.
A lens is needed to collect rays and then direct them to the retina. To focus rays from a distant object, the lens needs to be flatter, and if it is necessary to focus on a nearby object, it again becomes thicker. A special muscle located around the lens is responsible for this. When it contracts, the lens becomes thicker, when it expands, it becomes thinner. If we need to look at objects located at different distances, then we will need to use completely different curvatures of the lens.
Thus, the eye is a very complex natural structure that allows you to see and react to what you see. You can understand why the eye sees by understanding its anatomy and seeing that its structure is similar to a camera.
An artificial eye can be:
- Bionic eye
- Electronic eye
- Nano eye
Electronic eye is a device that allows you to perceive changes in light or distinguish colors (for example, a sensor or a sensor).
Canadian director and producer Rob Spence ventured into surgery to replace the prosthetic eye he lost as a child with a miniature camera. Spence himself cannot see directly with his new eye. Unlike various artificial retina projects, the Eyeborg camera does not send signals to the brain. Instead, the tiny device wirelessly sends the image to a portable, portable screen. From this device, the signal can already be sent to a computer for recording and editing.
Bionic eye- it's artificial visual system, imitating an individual organ.
Daniel Palanker, a fellow at Stanford University and his Biomedical Physics and ophthalmic technologies", have developed a high-resolution retinal prosthesis or "Bionic Eye".
Japan has also created an artificial retina based on a US patent, which in the future will help restore vision to blind patients. As it became known, the technology was developed by specialists from the Seiko-Epson Corporation and Ryukoku University based in Kyoto.
The artificial retina is a photosensor containing a thin aluminum matrix with silicon semiconductor elements. For better implementation basic tests, it is placed on a rectangular glass plate measuring 1 cm. For subsequent tests on animals, in particular, conger eels, it is supposed to be installed on flexible liquid crystal panels.
According to the principle of operation, the artificial retina imitates the real one: when light rays hit the semiconductors, an electrical voltage is generated, which visual signal must be transmitted to the brain and perceived as an image.
The resolution of the photosensitive matrix is 100 pixels, but after reducing the size of the chip, it can be increased to two thousand graphic elements. According to experts, if such a chip is implanted into a completely blind person, he will be able to distinguish large objects at close range, such as a door or a table.
Patients who were implanted with a bionic eye showed the ability not only to distinguish light and movement, but also to identify objects the size of a tea mug or even a knife. Some of them regained the ability to read large letters.
Nanoeye- a device created using nanotechnology (for example, a lens that is applied to the pupil of the eye). Such a device can not only return lost vision and compensate for partially lost functions, but also expand capabilities human eye. The lens will be able to project an image directly onto the eye or help capture light much better, allowing you to see in the dark like a cat.
Nano-eye technology is still developing and it is unknown what opportunities will appear before humans.
American engineers developed contact lenses with the ability to display visual information directly to the eyes. The project is being financed by the US Air Force, which hopes to produce a new device for pilots.
Michael McAlpine of Princeton and his colleagues have developed a 3D printer that prints contact lenses with five layers, one of which emits light onto the surface of the eye. The lenses themselves are made of transparent polymer. They contain several components: LEDs made from nano-sized quantum dots, wiring made from silver nanoparticles and organic polymers(they act as material for microcircuits).
The hardest thing, according to McAlpine, was choosing chemical substances, capable of ensuring strong contact of the layers with each other. Another difficulty was the individual form eyeballs in humans: Engineers had to monitor the production of the contact lens using two video cameras to ensure compatibility with the patient's eye.
Expected that new development will be useful primarily for pilots: contact lenses will transmit information about the progress of the flight directly to the eye. In addition, it will be possible to put sensors in the lenses that detect chemical biomarkers of eye fatigue.
Other scientists doubt practical value developments: the voltage required to turn on an LED display is too high, says physicist Raymond Murray from London. In addition, it is necessary to ensure the safety of materials. It is known, for example, that cadmium selenide, from which quantum dots are made, is very harmful to health.
Let us clarify right away: we are not talking about a complete copy of the organ of vision, which replaces the blind eye. Unlike, say, a prosthetic arm or leg, which externally accurately reproduces the lost body part. An “artificial eye” is a design consisting of glasses, a mini-camera, a video signal converter that is attached to the belt, and a chip implanted into the retina. Such solutions, combining living and nonliving, biology and technology, are called bionic in science.
The first owner of a bionic eye in Russia was a 59-year-old milling fitter Grigory Ulyanov from Chelyabinsk.
“Our patient is the 41st in the world to undergo such an operation,” AiF explained. Minister of Health Veronika Skvortsova. - He saw until he was 35 years old. Then vision began to narrow from the periphery to the center and completely went out by the age of 39. So this interesting technology allows a person to return from darkness. A chip is placed on the retina, which creates a digital image of the image by transforming the image recorded by the video camera of the glasses through a special converter. This digital image is transmitted through the preserved optic nerve to the cerebral cortex. The most important thing is that the brain recognizes these signals. Of course, vision is not restored 100%. Since the processor implanted into the retina has only 60 electrodes (something like pixels in screens, for comparison: modern smartphones have a resolution of 500 to 2000 pixels - Ed.), the image appears more primitive. It is black and white and consists of geometric shapes. Let’s say such a patient sees the door as a black letter “P”. Nevertheless, this is much better than the first version of the device with 30 electrodes allowed.
Of course, the patient requires long-term rehabilitation. He needs to be taught to understand visual images. Gregory is very optimistic. As soon as the analyzer was connected, it immediately saw spots of light and began counting the number of light bulbs on the ceiling. We really hope that his brain retained the old visual images, because the patient lost his vision in adulthood. By influencing the brain with special rehabilitation programs, it is possible to force it to “connect” the symbols that it now receives with the images that are stored in memory from the time the person saw.”
Will everyone see the light?
This is the first such experience in our country. Performed the operation Director of the Research Center of Ophthalmology, Russian National Research Medical University named after. Pirogova ophthalmologist surgeon Hristo 
Takhchidi. “The patient is now at home, feels well, saw his granddaughter for the first time,” says Professor Kh. Takhchidi. - His training proceeds at an accelerated pace. The engineering guys from the USA, who came to connect the electronics a couple of weeks after the operation, were surprised at how quickly he mastered the operation of the system. This amazing person, determined to win. And his optimism is passed on to the doctors. There are several training programs. Now he is learning to take care of himself in everyday life - cook food, clean up after himself. The next step is to master the most necessary routes: to the store, pharmacy. Next, learn to clearly see the boundaries of objects, for example a pedestrian path. The emergence of better technology, and therefore better vision restoration, is just around the corner. Remember what you were like Cell phones 10-15 years ago and what they are like now. The main thing is that the patient is socially rehabilitated. Can serve itself."
True, for now we can only be proud of the virtuoso performance. All technology, as well as the design, are imported. Not cheap. The device alone costs 160 thousand dollars. And the entire technology costs 1.5 million dollars. However, there is hope that domestic devices will soon appear.
“We started developing a retinal implant together with the First St. Petersburg State medical university them. Pavlova. Of course, it will be cheaper and more accessible to patients than imported ones,” AiF reassured Chief ophthalmologist of the Ministry of Health, Director of the Research Institute of Eye Diseases named after. Helmholtz Vladimir Neroev.
In the meantime, the bionic direction in Russia is actively developing in other areas. In particular, when creating bionic prosthetic arms and legs. Another application of bionics is hearing restoration devices. “The first cochlear implantation was done in Russia 10 years ago,” says Veronika Skvortsova. - Now we make more than a thousand of them a year and are among the top three in the world. All newborn babies undergo audiological screening. If there are certain irreversible hearing impairments, implantation is performed without a queue. Children develop just like hearing children, learn to speak normally and do not lag behind in development.”
The human body is very vulnerable. Until recently, if any organ was damaged, it was not possible to replace it, and the person remained crippled, receiving quite often very uncomfortable and poorly functional prostheses. But today researchers have achieved significant results in prosthetics human organs. We have collected 10 of the latest scientific developments that will make it possible in the near future to replace damaged body parts.
The skin, covering and protecting the entire human body, is the most easily damaged organ. Stanford scientists have developed a super-flexible, super-strong and super-sensitive material that could become the basis for future synthetic skin. People have tried to develop synthetic leather before, but the new material has much greater sensory sensitivity. It contains organic transistors and a layer of elastic material that allows it to stretch without damage. And it is self-powered - the skin contains a series of elastic solar panels.
2. A beating heart created in a Petri dish
Scientists have long explored the potential of stem cells to grow hearts, and recently achieved a major breakthrough this year by creating a heart in a petri dish that could beat on its own. Within 20 days, the new heart beat at a rate of 40 to 50 beats per minute. It's still too weak to actually pump blood, but tissue like this has great potential.
3. Prosthetic hands that sense touch
Current prosthetic hands can certainly grasp things, but they lack one of the most important abilities of a real one. human hand- touch. People with prosthetics cannot sense when they are in contact with an object without looking at it directly. A research team from the University of Chicago has solved this problem by creating hands that send electrical signals to the brain. Scientists conducted experiments with monkeys, studying how their brains respond to touch.
While bionic legs are of course a huge boon to amputees, they have a significant drawback - the lack of real connection nerves with the body. But last year, Seattle resident Zach Water received the world's first limbs that are controlled by the power of thought, thanks to the fact that they receive signals directly from his brain. To optimize these artificial legs, the manufacturing company is going to make them even thinner and lighter.
5. Miniature human brain
Brain death is fatal. Maybe one day, a person will be able to transplant new brain into the skull, but it is worth remembering that this is not just an ordinary organ. It contains all thoughts and memories, so the idea of creating artificial brains may seem absurd. But this did not stop scientists who grew a real one from stem cells. human brain in the laboratory. He, however, is still the size of a pea and is unable to think.
There is already technology that can artificially restore hearing, but internal implants do nothing to the visible part of the ear. Regular artificial ears looked like plastic toys. But this year researchers came up with new method, which provides the ability to grow flexible, lifelike ears from living cells. These cells are taken from rats and cows and formed into a gel. This gel is then used to create an artificial ear using a 3D printer in less than an hour.
7. A nose that can smell illness
Researchers from the University of Illinois decided to create a device that identifies chemicals by smell, but they were not satisfied with the sensitivity of the human nose. Instead, they created an artificial nose that uses the smell of bacteria to identify and diagnose specific diseases.
8. Artificial pancreas
The pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which, if it is not present in the body, must be administered manually. Diabetics constantly check their blood sugar levels and then administer insulin when needed. The artificial pancreas, however, will be able to inject insulin into the body automatically. It monitors and regulates your blood sugar levels at all times.
People have long been able to restore hearing to the deaf, but restoring vision to the blind is still much more complex issue. When people lose their vision, their retina no longer sends signals from photoreceptors to the brain. In order to create artificial eye, we first need to understand how the retina processes these signals, something scientists have been unable to achieve until recently. Scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College were able to do this by at least with mice and monkeys, creating an artificial retina whose chips convert images into electronic signals.
10. Fingers and gigabytes of information
When Finnish programmer Jerry Jalava was involved in a motorcycle accident in 2008, he lost a finger. The biker found an unusual way out of the situation - he created a prosthetic finger into which two gigabytes of digital information can be stored. Now he can simply insert the unusual prosthesis into a USB connector. In the future, Jalawa plans to upgrade his invention by adding support for wireless communications. He also wants to add more memory.
Recently, developers have turned their attention to people with disabilities, offering .
