Visual  Prosthesis   (Bionic  Eye)   Finn  Hellen-­‐Ford,  Ben  Sterret,  Harrison  Mendes  

The  Design  Process     Whilst  initially  setting  out  to  recreate  an  entire  bionic   eye  from  scratch,  we  soon  decided  that  this  would  be   both  difficult  and  expensive.       We  then  decided  to  create  a  “visual  aid”  for  those   with  a  form  of  blindness  or  partial  blindness,  in   particular  blindness  caused  by  Retinitis  pigmentosa,   and  Macular  degeneration.  

What  do  these  eye   diseases  do?     The  eye  diseases  cause  the  photoreceptors,  which   are  the  neurons  in  the  eye  that  detect  visible   electromagnetic  radiation  (light)  into  signals  for  the   brain  to  read,  to  become  degenerated.       Therefore,  the  person  is  no  longer  able  to  see   because  no  signals  are  travelling  to  the  brain  along   the  optic  nerve.  

The  Design  Process   (cont.)     These  eye  diseases  cause  the  photoreceptors  in  the  eye  to   degenerate  and  become  redundant,  so  the  visual   prosthesis  needs  to  replace  these  cells  in  terms  of   function.     Therefore,  the  prosthesis  will  need  to:     Absorb  light  /record  light  by  camera  and  transfer  to   microchip     Stimulate  existing  retinal  cells  by  converting  absorbed  light/ recording  to  electrical  impulses,  which  are  then  sent  along   the  optic  nerve.    

The  Design  Process   (cont.)     Our  final  prosthesis  involves:     A  contact  lens  with  a  built-­‐in  camera  to  be  on  the  eye,   which  wirelessly  sends  a  real-­‐time  recording  to  a   microchip  on  the  retina.  This  allows  a  person  to  control   what  they  see  using  their  eyes,  instead  of  having  the   camera  on  glasses     A  Microchip  containing  1024  electrodes,  which  convert  the   wireless  signals  from  the  camera  to  electrical  signals   which  stimulate.  This  means  that  the  optical  nerve   receives  1024  signals  to  send  to  the  brain,  and  the  person   perceives  1024  ‘phosphenes’  (spots  of  light).     A  power  source  implemented  on  the  contact  lens  which   will  will  supply  power  to  the  wirelessly  microchip  through   electromagnetic  waves.  

Cost     The  Contact  Lenses  will  cost  $124  for  a  box  of  6,  a  camera   and  two  batteries.     Includes  zinc-­‐air  battery,  polymer  lens,  and  Full  HD  1.5cm   radius  camera.     Battery  is  replaceable  and  is  expected  to  last  through  3   contact  lenses.  Camera  is  expected  to  last  permanently   and  is  transferable  between  contact  lenses.  

  Micro-­‐mechanic  chip  with  1024  electrodes  will  cost   $15900  (per  eye)  made  from  titanium,  or  $31000  per  eye   for  a  chip  sealed  and  formed  with  diamond,  which  is   more  reliable  and  inert.  The  cost  includes  the  surgery  to   put  the  chip  on  the  retina.  

Normal  Eye  From   Outside  

Eye  with  Prosthesis   From  Outside  

Normal  Eye  Horizontal   Cross-­‐Section  

Prosthesis  Horizontal   Cross-­‐Section