Argus II System: The Six Million Dollar Man

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In 1974 ABC Network aired the The Six Million Dollar Man whose protagonist was severely injured in a plane crash, sustaining life threatening injuries inclusive of his left eye destroyed by metal fragment. His injuries made him the perfect candidate for ground breaking technology and he was fitted with a bionic eye, which allowed him telescopic and microscopic sight along with night vision capabilities. Although the bionic eye and its capabilities was part of a science fiction series at the time, today, forty years later the bionic eye is a reality, which is able to restore vision to the blind, but its recipients will not be able to see like the Six Million Dollar Man (Bionic Wiki, n.d.). Two decades ago the development of a bionic eye was …show more content…

The implant is comprised of a coil and a case, which are placed around the eyeball using a scleral band, and an electrode array, which is tacked intraocularly on the surface of the retina. • Argus II Glasses: Glasses that are specially fitted with a miniature video camera, radio-frequency (RF) coils and associated electronic circuitry. The glasses transmit electrical stimulation data along with power via telemetry to the implant. The Argus II Glasses are worn by the patient. • Argus II Operating Room (OR) Coil: An RF coil that is used to test the functionality of the implant during the implantation procedure. • Argus II Video Processing Unit (VPU): A battery-powered device that processes the video signal obtained from the video camera on the glasses and transforms it into electrical stimulation data. The electrical stimulation data and power are then sent to the Argus II Glasses for transmission to the implant. The VPU comes with a pouch that is worn by the …show more content…

“Images from the camera are converted into a series of electrical pulses that are transmitted wirelessly to an array of electrodes on the surface of the retina. The pulses stimulate the retina's remaining healthy cells, causing them to relay the signal to the optic nerve. The visual information then moves to the brain, where it is translated into patterns of light that can be recognized and interpreted, allowing the patient to regain some visual function” (Press, 2014) The Argus 11 provide a "pixilated type of vision." "The patient essentially has to try to determine what those flashes of light mean, and in many cases it can help them determine where a window is, light coming in through the window or where a doorway is, essentially help them navigate the world around them." (Firger,

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