CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION In the past 20 years, biotechnology has become the fastest-growing area of scientific research, with new devices going into clinical trials at a breakneck pace. A bionic arm allows amputees to control movements of the prosthesis with their thoughts. A training system called Brain Port is letting people with visual and balance disorders bypass their damaged sensory organs and instead send information to their brain through the tongue. Now, the trials of a retinal implant system that gives blind people a limited degree of vision was invented .

Fig 1.1 Normal Eye

The Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System can provide sight -- the detection of light -- to people who have gone blind from degenerative eye diseases like macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. Ten percent of people over the age of 55 suffer from various stages of macular degeneration. Retinitis pigmentosa is an inherited disease that affects about 1.5 million people around the globe. Both diseases damage the eyes' photoreceptors, the cells at the back of the retina that perceive light patterns and pass them on to the brain in the form of nerve impulses, where the impulse

patterns are then interpreted as images. The Argus II system takes the place of these photoreceptors.

Fig 1.2 Defective eye (Retinitis Pigmentosa)

Fig 1.3 Defective eye (Macular Degeneration)

CHAPTER 2 COMPONENTS OF BIONIC EYE SYSTEM

2.1 COMPONENTS OF BIONIC EYE SYSTEM The main components of bionic eye system are digital camera video-processing microchip radio transmitter radio receiver retinal implant

2.2 DIGITAL CAMERA

A digital camera that's built into a pair of glasses. It captures images in real time and sends images to a microchip.

2.3 VIDEO-PROCESSING MICROCHIP

A video-processing microchip that's built into a handheld unit. It processes images into electrical pulses representing patterns of light and dark and sends the pulses to a radio transmitter in the glasses.

2.4 RADIO TRANSMITTER

A radio transmitter that wirelessly transmits pulses to a receiver implanted above the ear or under the eye.

2.5 RADIO RECEIVER

A radio receiver that sends pulses to the retinal implant by a hair-thin implanted wire.

2.6 RETINAL IMPLANT

A retinal implant with an array of 60 electrodes on a chip measuring 1 mm by 1 mm.

CHAPTER 3 CONSTRUCTION AND WORKING OF BIONIC EYE

3.1 CONSTRUCTION OF BIONIC EYE

By incorporating metal circuitry and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) into a polymer-based lens, a functional circuit that is biologically compatible with the eye was created.

Fig 3.1 Bionic Eye Chip The eyes have it: Researchers built a biocompatible contact lens with working LEDs, shown here. In addition to wires, the researchers used chemicals to carve out circular indentations in which the LEDs would be placed. One challenge in building working electronics and opto-electronics into plastic is that these devices must be made with high heat that would melt the plastic. To get around this problem, LEDs were fabricated on a separate substrate, ensuring that the devices could easily be removed and transferred onto the plastic lens. Next, the researchers coated the fully assembled electronic lenses with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), a biocompatible material. PMMA is also used to coat hard contact lenses, making the lenses more similar to hard contacts than the soft contacts worn by most people today. In the final step, the researchers molded the plastic into the
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shape of a lens.

The first version of the system had 16 electrodes on the implant and is still in clinical trials at the University of California in Los Angeles. Doctors implanted the retinal chip in six subjects, all of whom regained some degree of sight. They are now able to perceive shapes (such as the shaded outline of a tree) and detect movement to varying degrees. The newest version of the system should offer greater image resolution because it has far more electrodes. The U.S.s Department Of Energy (DOE) will produce a 200+ electrode device ready for extensive preclinical testing. The new design will have a highly compact array. This array is four times more densely packed with metal contact electrodes and required wiring connecting to a microelectronic stimulator than the Argus II. Simulations and calculations indicate that the 200+ electrode device should provide improved vision for patients.

3.2 WORKING
When vision fails, it's often the result of damage to the eye caused by an injury or degenerative disease. In an attempt to restore such vision loss, researchers for more than a decade has been working to develop an optical prosthetic that can restore sight by delivering images directly to the brain. And it appears they succeeded. The entire system runs on a battery pack that's housed with the video processing unit. When the camera captures an image -- of, say, a tree -- the image is in the form of light and dark pixels. It sends this image to the video processor, which converts the tree-shaped pattern of pixels into a series of electrical pulses that represent "light" and "dark." The processor sends these pulses to a radio transmitter on the glasses, which then transmits the pulses in radio form to a receiver implanted underneath the subject's skin. The receiver is directly connected via a wire to the electrode array implanted at the back of the eye, and it sends a magnified image of an eye with agerelated macular degeneration the pulses down the wire. When the pulses reach the retinal implant, they excite the electrode array. The array acts as the artificial equivalent of the retina's photoreceptors.
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Fig 3.2 Internal Working of Bionic Eye The electrodes are stimulated in accordance with the encoded pattern of light and dark that represents the tree, as the retina's photoreceptors would be if they were working (except that the pattern wouldn't be digitally encoded). The electrical signals generated by the stimulated electrodes then travel as neural signals to the visual center of the brain by way of the normal pathways used by healthy eyes -- the optic nerves. In macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, the optical neural pathways aren't damaged. The brain, in turn, interprets these signals as a tree and tells the subject, "You're seeing a tree." It takes some training for subjects to actually see a tree. At first, they see mostly light and dark spots. But after a while, they learn to interpret what the brain is showing them, and they eventually perceive that pattern of light and dark as a tree. Once implanted, the device protrudes only 0.1 to 0.5 millimeter beyond the surface of the pupil but does not touch the corneal endothelium, a layer of cells lining the back of the cornea.

CHAPTER 4 IMPROVEMENTS

4.1 IMPROVEMENTS
If the upcoming clinical trials, in which doctors will implant the secondgeneration device into 75 subjects, are successful, the retinal prosthesis could be commercially available by 2010. The estimated cost is $30,000. The higher resolution that more advanced, 1000+ electrode prostheses potentially can provide is key to the goal of enabling reading of large print, unaided mobility, and facial recognition. To date, most of the patients with the artificial retina implants use them for orientation and large object detection. Higher-resolution implants are expected to enhance usage by allowing better vision not only for mobility, but also for object detection. Indeed, many people are blind -- or going blind -- because of malfunctioning rods and cones. Retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration are examples of two such disorders. Retinitis pigmentosa tends to be hereditary and may strike at an early age, while macular degeneration mostly affects the elderly. Together, these diseases afflict millions; both occur gradually and can result in total blindness. The Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center is a NASA-sponsored Commercial Space Center (CSC) at the University of Houston. NASA's Space Product Development (SPD) program, located at the Marshall Space Flight Center, encourages the commercialization of space by industry through 17 such CSCs. At the SVEC, researchers apply knowledge gained from experiments done in space to develop better lasers, photocells, and thin films -- technologies with both commercial and human promise.

Fig 4.1 Implanted Micro Detectors

The ceramic detectors are much like ultra-thin films found in modern computer chips, so we can use our semiconductor expertise and make them in arrays - like chips in a computer factory. The arrays are stacked in a hexagonal structure mimicking the arrangement of rods and cones they are designed to replace. The natural layout of the detectors solves another problem that plagued earlier silicon research: blockage of nutrient flow to the eye. Artificial retinas constructed at SVEC consist of 100,000 tiny ceramic detectors, each 1/20 the size of a human hair. The assemblage is so small that surgeons can't safely handle it. So, the arrays are attached to a polymer film one millimeter by one millimeter in size. A couple of weeks after insertion into an eyeball, the polymer film will simply dissolve leaving only the array behind. This concept of Artificial Vision is also interesting to engineers, because there are a number of technicalities involved in this surgery apart from the anatomical part. The microsurgery starts with three incisions smaller than the diameter of a needle in the white part of the eye. Through the incisions, surgeons introduce a vacuuming device that removes the gel in the middle of the eye and replaces it with saline solution. Surgeons then make a pinpoint opening in the retina to inject fluid in order to lift a portion of the retina from the back of the eye, creating a pocket to accommodate the chip. The retina is resealed over the chip, and doctors inject air into the middle of the eye to force the retina back over the device and close the incisions. During the entire surgery, a biomedical engineer takes part actively to ensure that there is no problem with the chip to be implanted. Scientists aren't yet certain how the brain will interpret unfamiliar voltages from the artificial rods and cones. The implant is based on a small chip that is surgically implanted behind the retina, at the back of the eyeball. An ultra-thin wire strengthens the damaged optic nerve; its purpose is to transmit light and images to the brain's vision system, where it is normally processed. Other than the implanted chip and wire, most of the device sits outside the eye. The users would need to wear special eye glasses containing a tiny battery-powered camera and a transmitter, which would send images to the chip implanted behind the retina. The new device is expected to be quite durable, since the chip is enclosed in a titanium casing, making it both water-proof and corrosion-proof. The researchers estimate that the device will last for at least 10 years inside the eye.

The scientists explain that the bionic eye will be affective for individuals who once had sight, since their brain knows how to process visual information. The unfortunate people who were born blind do not have the neurological capability to process the data received via the wire. Furthermore, the optic nerve must be at least partly functional. Otherwise, the data will not be fully processed. For many individuals that were born blind, this is a problem as well, since their optic nerve has never been used. However, most of these individuals have a natural compensation mechanism, in the form of enhanced senses, such as hearing and touch.

Fig 4.2 the Implant's Chip: General Model Although the device will not be able to restore the eye sight of the entire blind community, researchers are certain many people will benefit from the technology. For instance, age-related macular generation is the leading cause of blindness in the industrialized world, with about 2 million Americans currently suffering from the condition. The new technology will hopefully assist people suffering from this condition, and individuals suffering from retinitis pigmentosa glaucoma patients. but will not help

Fig 4.3 Mock up Design of Camera Mounted on a Pair of Sunglasses

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In this illustration, the glasses transmit data and power to the prosthesis. A pea-size Implantable Miniature Telescope, or IMT, embedded in only one eye is the basis of the work done by California-based Vision Care Ophthalmic Technologies. Replacing the eye's lens, the telescope projects images over the undamaged area of the retina and provides central, "straight-ahead" vision while the other eye handles peripheral vision.

4.2 BRAIN IMPLANTS

There is one more concept similar to Bionic Eyes that is also making waves in the Medical field and that is the use of Brain Implants to remove blindness. In recent years, progress is being made towards sensory substitution devices for the blind. In the long run, there could be the possibility of brain implants. A brain implant or cortical implant provides visual input from a camera directly to the brain via electrodes in contact with the visual cortex at the backside of the head. If we try to do a fair and objective comparison between auditory display technology and brain implant technology it should first be stressed that result of any comparisons can of course change over time as the respective Technologies are further developed and refined.

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CHAPTER 5 ADVANTAGES AND APPLICATIONS

5.1 ADVANTAGES
Although the device will not be able to restore the eye sight of the entire blind community, researchers are certain many people will benefit from the technology. For instance, age-related macular generation is the leading cause of blindness in the industrialized world, with about 2 million Americans currently suffering from the condition. The new technology will hopefully assist people suffering from this condition, and individuals suffering from retinitis pigmentosa (a genetic condition), but will not help glaucoma patients. The researchers note the device has some limitations, and it will not restore perfect vision. However, they are sure it will give people the advantage of having a general sense of their surroundings. Hopefully, the technology may enable people to recognize faces and facial expressions. "The thing is to significantly improve the quality of life for blind patients," said

5.2 DISADVANTAGES
The scientists explain that the bionic eye will be affective for individuals who once had sight, since their brain knows how to process visual information. The unfortunate people who were born blind do not have the neurological capability to process the data received via the wire. Furthermore, the optic nerve must be at least partly functional. Otherwise, the data will not be fully processed. For many individuals that were born blind, this is a problem as well, since their optic nerve has never been used. This new technology will not be helpful for glaucoma patients.

5.3 APPLICATIONS
Bionics (also known as biomimetics, bio-inspiration, biognosis, biomimicry, or bionical creativity engineering) is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. Examples of bionics in engineering include the hulls of boats imitating the thick skin of dolphins; sonar, radar, and medical ultrasound imaging imitating the echolocation of bats.
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In the field of computer science, the study of bionics has produced artificial neurons, artificial neural networks, and swarm intelligence. 5.3.1 Eyeclop Bionic Eye

Fig 5.1 Eyeclops Bionic eye EYECLOPS BIONIC EYE a handled contraption that supposedly magnifies Whatever it sees on an order of 200x and displays it on whatever TV it is plugged into. 5.3.2 Eyeclop Bionicam

Fig 5.2 Eyeclops Bionicam The wireless EYECLOPS BIONICAM has doubled the top magnification to 400x and has its own built-in color LCD instead of requiring a computer screen for viewing .It also comes with a USB flash drive presumably to record and transfer whatever images are projected on it, according to device.
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CONCLUSION
An improved bionic eye that allows blind people to see more of their surroundings will improve their mobility and quality of life. Though there are a number of challenges to be faced before this technology reach the common man, the path has been laid. This paper has tried to present the concept of Artificial Vision through an engineers viewpoint. Engineers play a major role in the design stage of Bionic Eyes. It is just a matter of 4-5 years that the blind will be able to see through these Bionic Eyes, thanks to Science and Technology. Movie characters from the Terminator to the Bionic Woman use bionic eyes to zoom in on far-off scenes, have useful facts pop into their field of view, or create virtual crosshairs. Off the screen, virtual displays have been proposed for more practical purposes visual aids to help vision-impaired people, holographic driving control panels and even as a way to surf the Web on the go.

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REFERENCES
1. www.scribd.com/doc/27004363/Bionic-Eye 2. www.bionicsinstitute.org/publications/.../FactSheet_BionicEye.pdf 3. http://rj3sp.blogspot.in/2009/12/bionic-eye-technology.html 4. www.dobelle.com

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