If we have five functioning senses, it’s easy to take them for granted. The stuff we hear is just the stuff we hear. The stuff we see is just the stuff we see. For people lacking in any one, however, it is not like that at all. Any piece of technology that comes along to make their lives easier is considered a gift. Wearable technology has been on the forefront on providing these gifts, from the original iPhone right on down to these glasses we are about to talk about. Oh yeah. Did we say glasses? Introducing Argus eyewear, which just might have the potential to give sight to the sightless.
It starts with a retinal implant. Once patients receive the implant they receive a pair of these unique glasses. Argus does not allow them to see the world how we see it, but it does allow them to see. Consider it a sort of bizarro version of radar or something. They see the world in black and white lines and hazy points of contrast. With training, the Argus-equipped individual is able to navigate the world as smoothly as those of us with fully functioning eyeballs. It’s not a perfect solution, but even the greatest journey starts with a single step(We saw that on a movie poster once.)
Sadly, Argus does not work with all types of blindness. It depends on the severity of nerve damage in the individual’s eye sockets. This tech has been under development, including testing, for over a decade now. It ha finally begun installations in several hospitals throughout the world. We’ll keep you updated as this interesting, and useful, tech advances.
