Scientists develop vision technology for the blind: they can "see" the shapes of letters

Recently, according to foreign media reports, scientists have developed a new technology that allows blind people to "see" shapes and objects. It is reported that this research was achieved by stimulating the visual cortex of the blind brain with electrical pulses. The experiment recruited 6 blind volunteers. By implanting electrodes in the brain, researchers can stimulate the cerebral cortex through electrodes. By turning the electrodes on or off in a specific pattern, researchers can allow blind people to "see" clear images and feedback the accurate shapes to the researchers.

The experiment was well received by the blind volunteers, and they soon reached an efficiency of distinguishing 86 shapes per minute. Of course, the research was still in its early stages, and most of the shapes were basic letters.

However, the researchers said that although they only tested letter-like shapes, the technology can also be applied to the outlines of other common objects (such as faces, bodies, houses, cars, tables or chairs). Combined with AI visual recognition algorithms, it can provide a system that uses dynamic stimulation to provide blind participants with quick outlines of important objects in their surroundings or provide navigation.

Researchers still have a lot of work to do, but for the blind, this system that can quickly identify objects and provide feedback to the brain is indeed very attractive. It may be able to achieve effects similar to real vision. I hope it can be put into practical use as soon as possible.