Blind man now SEES

In a not so recent article,
Warning! Mind blowing Imminent
A man who was blind for nearly 30 years was able to receive his eyesight through the implantation of a "bionic eye". Basically he wore a pair of glasses fitted to a
camera which was then hooked up electronically to the nerves in his eyes. As
the camera picks up images, it sends the signals to an electrode implanted on
his retinal nerve which then sends another signal along the optic nerve to his
brain.


If we remember back to a few chapters ago, electrical
impulses are sent along nerves through a series of action potentials. The nerve
cell is stimulated through the depolarization of the cell as Sodium channels
open causing the membrane potential to become more positive. Once the membrane
potential reaches the threshold potential, the action potential will occur and
after this point the movement is irreversible. During the repolarization phase,
inactivation gates close the sodium channels and allow potassium channels to
open. Potassium then leaves the neuron allowing the membrane potential to
become more negative allowing it to go back to the resting phase. Because
action potentials are an "all or nothing" event, they are able to
travel longitudinally along the axon, setting of multiple action potentials
which creates a sort of wave of impulses that propagates through the cell.

This device works in a very similar way creating artificial
depolarization at the optical neurons which then allows the information to
travel along the axons into the brain. This essentially allows the user to
regain their sight, although not fully. What is very interesting to note is the
rapid integration of technology within the human body itself. We are slowly
breaching the gap allowing us to basically transcend some bodily limits and
also assist our weaknesses. Imagine this technology being used in other areas
of prosthesis. For example, the integration of fully useable prosthetic limbs
containing artificial nerve endings could soon become a reality. It would
merely require crosstalk between the nerve endings of the brain and the artificial
nerve endings within the prosthetic limb.

But something like this could even be taken a step further. Imagine whole
sections of the brain replaced with completely technological devices, enhancing
memory, learning emotional awareness, and even intelligence. Curing those afflicted
with degenerative brain disorders by merely replacing defective parts of the
brain with their respective machine counterparts. However, at which point does
one stop becoming "human". It is definitely conceivable that further
advancements in technological will basically integrate technology and humans,
but is this at a cost to our own humanity? This is mainly philosophical in
thought, but if you were to replace someone's brain with a machine, piece by
piece, making sure to retain all memories and personality until the brain was
just 100% machine, would that still be the same person you started out with? It
could be argued that we ourselves are not minds trapped in bodies. We ARE our
bodies. At which point does technological augmentation change the very fabric
of our humanity? I don't know the answer to that, but what is inevitable is
that the paths of man and machine may cross very soon.

How it Works