BLIND PEOPLE COULD REGAIN SIGHT WITH NEURALINK’S BLINDSIGHT IMPLANT, SAYS ELON MUSK

Elon Musk says Neuralink plans to begin the first Blindsight brain implants within 6 to 12 months. The technology aims to restore vision by sending signals directly to the brain, bypassing the eyes

A new brain implant designed to restore vision to people who are blind could enter its first phase of human implantation within the next year, according to Elon Musk.

Speaking about the company’s progress, Musk said Neuralink plans to carry out its first Blindsight vision implants within the next six to 12 months.

“In the next 6-12 months, we’ll be doing our first implants for vision, where even if somebody is completely blind, we can write directly to the visual cortex,” Musk said.

Blindsight is being developed to restore vision by sending signals directly to the brain’s visual cortex, bypassing damaged eyes or optic nerves.

Under normal circumstances, the retina converts light into electrical signals that travel through the optic nerves to the brain, where they are interpreted as images. However, diseases, injuries and other medical conditions can interrupt this process, leading to partial or complete blindness.