New glasses uses tongue to help blind see
December 8th, 2010 - 1:10 pm ICT by IANSLondon, Dec 8 (IANS) A British policeman who was blinded by a gunman earlier this year could soon have his sight restored thanks to a device that uses his tongue to help him see.
David Rathband lost his sight when he was shot in the face while on patrol in July this year. The 42-year-old is now taking part in a trial of the BrainPort device.
He said: “The thought of being able to see my wife and children again is just amazing.”
The device involves a camera mounted on a pair of glasses being connected to a sensor on the patient’s tongue, which then sends signals from the camera to the brain, bypassing the user’s damaged eyesight, reports the Daily Mail.
The BrainPort has already changed the life of Lance Corporal Craig Lundber, who was blinded by a grenade in Iraq and was the first Briton to try out the device. He can now read words, identify shapes and walk unaided.
A camera attached to the glasses captures a moving image. The BrainPort device transfers the image via a cable to a lollipop attachment on the tongue.
Electrodes tingle on the tongue to reflect the image with darker areas creating stronger pulses.
Rathband said he was ‘excited’ but ‘guarded’ about building up his hopes. “They are saying I will be able to identify objects,” he said.
Hundreds of shotgun pellets remain in Rathband’s face after he was blasted by the crazed gunman, Raoul Moat, while sitting unarmed in his patrol car.
- Blind Brit soldier learns to 'see' with his tongue - Mar 16, 2010
- Blind people may soon be using their tongues to 'see' - Sep 02, 2009
- Manhunt on for gunman with grudge against British police - Jul 04, 2010
- New prosthetic device offers to hope to the visually impaired - Nov 19, 2010
- I will kill my enemies, warns Britain's fugitive - Jul 07, 2010
- 'Sick man' Gazza wants 12-week rehab programme to work - Jul 22, 2010
- Gascoigne back in rehab following cocaine arrest - Oct 25, 2010
- Eye operation helps blind Briton to see - May 04, 2012
- Bionic eye can restore lost vision - Nov 03, 2010
- Astonishing bionic enables blind to see - Nov 22, 2011
- Tipsy Gazza claims he use to provide criminal Moat with lager and chicken - Jul 10, 2010
- Britain's most wanted fugitive Moat commits suicide - Jul 10, 2010
- Bionic eye implant ready for human trials - Feb 09, 2012
- Blind can develop bat-like sonar to see - May 26, 2011
- Tool manipulation similar among blind and sighted - Jun 24, 2010
Tags: brain, brainport, british policeman, briton, craig, crazed gunman, daily mail, electrodes, eyesight, glasses, grenade, lance corporal, moat, moving image, patrol car, raoul, shapes, shotgun pellets, signals, tongue