Some Solutions to Technical Hurdles for Developing a Practical Intracortical Visual Prosthesis Device

The goal of cortical neuroprosthesis researchers of last four decades is to develop a practical intracortical visual prosthesis device. Although the concept of such a system seems straightforward, details of its configuration remain undefined. Knowledge of how the human visual system will respond to artificially-induced visually-based input is sparse. Combined with technological limitations, these have hindered the progress in developing a practical intracortical visual prosthesis device. The long-term objective of this research is to develop a continuously wearable intracortical visual prosthesis device. Earlier studies have used relatively small numbers of cortical electrodes, and these have been insufficient to generate an integrated visual perception. Surgical difficulties also complicate problem. A prototype visual prosthesis system needs to be adaptable to varying stimulation, image processing, and user interface needs. It also has the obvious requirement portability, implying extremely low power consumption and low weight so that the system can be used outside the confinement of a lab. We feel that available technology has sufficiently advanced to develop a first-generation intracortical visual prosthesis device. In this paper we propose some solutions to the challenges for developing this visual prosthesis device using existing technologies