#BionicVision
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mbeyeler.bsky.social
How do visual prosthetics stack up in everyday life? 👁️🧠🧪

Our latest study reveals a significant gap between researcher expectations and the actual usage of bionic eyes by recipients:
tvst.arvojournals.org/article.aspx...

#BionicVision #NeuroTech #Blindness #Accessibility
Aligning Visual Prosthetic Development With Implantee Needs | TVST | ARVO Journals
tvst.arvojournals.org
November 21, 2024 at 5:30 PM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
Huge congrats to the @science.xyz team! 🎉 It’s remarkable to see PRIMA reach commercial launch in Europe after so many years of work and twists & turns.

An exciting milestone for #BionicVision, and hopefully the start of real benefit for many people with geographic atrophy from #AMD.
July 22, 2026 at 4:42 PM
bionicvisionlab.org
New in Neuron 👁️🧠🧪: Can AI help a cortical visual prosthesis control what the brain actually does after electrical stimulation?

We used a bidirectional implant to model and shape stimulation-evoked activity in human visual cortex.

doi.org/10.1016/j.ne...

#UCSB #AI #BionicVision #Neurotechnology
Schematic comparing three methods for producing a target neural response with a cortical electrode array: direct 1-to-1 mapping, a learned inverse model, and gradient-based optimization. Each method generates a stimulation pattern that is passed through either a simulated forward model or tested in vivo. Resulting neural responses are shown as electrode-array heatmaps, illustrating how closely each approach reproduces the target pattern.
August 8, 2026 at 2:43 AM
bionic-vision.org
We still don’t have a computational explanation of phosphenes. 👁️ 🧠

That’s a problem if you’re trying to build visual prosthetics.

Jan Antolik on bridging stimulation, circuit dynamics, and percept:
www.bionic-vision.org/research-spo...

#CompNeuroSky #neuroskyence #BionicVision
bionic-vision.org | Research Spotlights | Jan Antolik
Prof. Jan Antolik’s path into computational neuroscience began in artificial intelligence, at a time when the field was far from its current prominence. What started as a detour to better understand…
www.bionic-vision.org
April 5, 2026 at 12:00 AM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
Thrilled to see this one hit the presses! 🎉

One of the final gems from Dr. Justin Kasowski’s dissertatio, showing how checkerboard rastering boosts perceptual clarity in simulated prosthetic vision. 👁️⚡️

#BionicVision #NeuroTech
bionicvisionlab.org Bionic Vision Lab @bionicvisionlab.org · Jul 9
👁️🧠 New paper alert!

We show that checkerboard-style electrode activation improves perceptual clarity in simulated prosthetic vision—outperforming other patterns in both letter and motion tasks.

Less bias, more function, same safety.

🔗 doi.org/10.1088/1741...

#BionicVision #NeuroTech
Raster patterns in simulated prosthetic vision. On the left, a natural scene of a yellow car is shown, followed by its transformation into a prosthetic vision simulation using a 10×10 grid of electrodes (red dots). Below this, a zoomed-in example shows the resulting phosphene pattern. To comply with safety constraints, electrodes are divided into five spatial groups activated sequentially across ~220 milliseconds. Each row represents a different raster pattern: vertical (columns activated left to right), horizontal (rows top to bottom), checkerboard (spatially maximized separation), and random (reshuffled every five frames). For each pattern, five panels show how the scene is progressively built across the five raster groups. Vertical and horizontal patterns show strong directional streaking. Checkerboard shows more uniform activation and perceptual clarity. Random appears spatially noisy and inconsistent.
July 10, 2025 at 5:21 PM
bionicvisionlab.org
Excited to share that two papers from the lab were accepted to #IEEE #EMBC2026 (@embs.org)! 🎉

1. Better symbol design for reading with (future) prosthetic vision
2. Cloud-adaptive preprocessing for visual neuroprostheses under real-world network constraints

#BionicVision #NeuroTech
April 18, 2026 at 4:23 PM
bionic-vision.org
From the AI winter to vision restoration. 👁️ 🧠

@janantolik.bsky.social on building models that take biology seriously and why we still don’t understand how stimulation turns into perception. That gap matters:
www.bionic-vision.org/research-spo...

#BionicVision #NeuroSkyence #CompNeuroSky
bionic-vision.org | Research Spotlights | Jan Antolik
Prof. Jan Antolik’s path into computational neuroscience began in artificial intelligence, at a time when the field was far from its current prominence. What started as a detour to better understand…
www.bionic-vision.org
March 29, 2026 at 11:00 PM
bionic-vision.org
Can electrical stimulation restore sight?

@spectrum.ieee.org details the work of Shadi Dayeh at @ucsandiego.bsky.social

spectrum.ieee.org/optic-nerve-...

#BionicVision #NeuroTech #BCI #blindness
Can Electrical Stimulation Restore Sight?
Researchers at UC San Diego seek to regenerate damaged optic nerves with electrical stimulation.
spectrum.ieee.org
March 29, 2026 at 3:54 PM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
👁️⚡ I spoke with Dr. Jiayi Zhang about her Science paper on tellurium nanowire retinal implants—restoring vision and extending it into the infrared, no external power required.

New materials, new spectrum, new possibilities.
🔗 www.bionic-vision.org/research-spo...

#BionicVision #NeuroTech
Bionic Vision - Advancing Sight Restoration
Discover cutting-edge research, events, and insights in bionic vision and sight restoration.
www.bionic-vision.org
July 18, 2025 at 12:11 AM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
What happens when a neural network controls electrical stimulation delivered directly to the brain?

In our new JNE paper we answer an important question: how do we know these models are safe?

bionicvisionlab.org/publications...

Full details in the thread below 👇

#BionicVision #NeuroTech #BCI
March 5, 2026 at 5:23 PM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
At #EMBC2025? Come check out two talks from my lab in tomorrow’s Sensory Neuroprostheses session!

🗓️ Thurs July 17 · 8-10AM · Room B3 M3-4
🧠 Efficient threshold estimation
🧑🔬 Deep human-in-the-loop optimization

🔗 embc.embs.org/2025/program/
#BionicVision #NeuroTech #IEEE #EMBS
Program – EMBC 2025
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embc.embs.org
July 16, 2025 at 4:54 PM
mbeyeler.bsky.social
New well-informed Bloomberg article about #BionicVision 👁️🧠 with a quote from yours truly: www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

#NeuroTech #PRIMA #Neuralink
Startups Like Science and Musk's Neuralink Aim to Help Blind People See
Technological advances have spurred an "explosion of interest" in restoring vision.
www.bloomberg.com
November 13, 2024 at 8:48 PM
bionic-vision.org
Big news from Phosphoenix: the Amsterdam spin-off has raised €1.3M to advance its visual neuroprosthesis toward a first-in-human study.

Their Fountain Probe uses 1,000+ microelectrodes to stimulate the visual pathway directly, bypassing the eyes.

#BionicVision #Neurotech

lnkd.in/p/e-zaMrC6
PHOSPHOENIX, an Amsterdam-based MedTech startup founded in 2019 by Prof. Pieter Roelfsema, Prof. @Xing Chen, and Dr. Bert Monna as a Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience spin-off, has completed a… |...
PHOSPHOENIX, an Amsterdam-based MedTech startup founded in 2019 by Prof. Pieter Roelfsema, Prof. @Xing Chen, and Dr. Bert Monna as a Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience spin-off, has completed a €1...
lnkd.in
September 19, 2026 at 10:52 PM
bionic-vision.org
ReVision Implant receives FDA breakthrough device designation for its Occular visual cortical prosthesis

www.massdevice.com/revision-imp...

#BionicVision #BCI #NeuroTech
ReVision Implant wins FDA breakthrough nod for vision-restoring BCI
ReVision Implant announced today that it received FDA breakthrough device designation for its Occular visual cortical prosthesis.
www.massdevice.com
March 10, 2026 at 2:30 PM
bionic-vision.org
What if retinal prostheses could speak the brain’s language? 👁️🧠🧪

Prof. Yossi Mandel and team built a hybrid implant that merges neurons and electrodes to restore high-acuity sight.

New Data Drop interview ↓
www.bionic-vision.org/research-spo...

#BionicVision #Neurotech #Blindness
bionic-vision.org | Research Spotlights | Yossi Mandel
In a new Advanced Functional Materials paper, Prof. Yossi Mandel and colleagues unveiled a hybrid retinal prosthesis that fuses living neurons with a high-density electrode array. By nestling human st...
www.bionic-vision.org
October 30, 2025 at 8:01 PM
bionicvisionlab.org
Aligning visual prosthetic development with implantee needs: Now out in TVST!

#BionicVision #NeuroTech #BCI #Blindness #Accessibility
mbeyeler.bsky.social Michael Beyeler @mbeyeler.bsky.social · Nov 21
How do visual prosthetics stack up in everyday life? 👁️🧠🧪

Our latest study reveals a significant gap between researcher expectations and the actual usage of bionic eyes by recipients:
tvst.arvojournals.org/article.aspx...

#BionicVision #NeuroTech #Blindness #Accessibility
Aligning Visual Prosthetic Development With Implantee Needs | TVST | ARVO Journals
tvst.arvojournals.org
November 21, 2024 at 5:31 PM
bionic-vision.org
Recent update from Neuralink 👁️🧠🕹️:

- 7 participants implanted (ALS & SCI)
- First vision implant (Blindsight) planned for 2026 with deeper threads (5cm)
- 10,000 channels planned for 2027

#BionicVision #BCI #NeuroTech
Neuralink Update, Summer 2025
We’re translating neural signals into life-changing impact.Join us to build the machine that builds the machine to merge with machines.neuralink.com/careersL...
youtu.be
June 29, 2025 at 5:28 PM
bionicvisionlab.org
At #ARVO2026? Come find Poster #0523 • 10:15am - 12:00pm MT • May 6th

We asked 100+ legally #blind adults: What shapes your attitude toward #BionicVision?
• usefulness helped
• barriers hurt
• ease of use mattered, but less
• age & vision level were not predictive

eppro02.ativ.me/web/page.php...
Flyer advertising the poster. Text says: Catrina Coe. Behavioral Determinants of Bionic Vision Adoption in a U.S.-Based Cohort of Blind Adults Poster #0523 • 10:15am - 12:00pm MT • May 6th
May 5, 2026 at 1:00 AM
bionic-vision.org
New interview w/ José-Alain Sahel, MD, a senior author of the #PRIMA clinical trial:
“It’s the first time that any attempt at vision restoration has achieved such results in a large number of patients…”

science.xyz/news/jose-sa...

#BionicVision #BCI #NeuroTech #AMD #blindness
Expert Opinion: José-Alain Sahel, M.D., on Science’s PRIMA Implant and the ‘Undreamt of’ Progress in Restoring Vision to Clinical Trial Patients | Science Corporation
Science Corporation is a clinical-stage medical technology company.
science.xyz
March 18, 2026 at 4:39 PM
bionic-vision.org
🚨 Breakthrough alert: A new study in the NEJM reports that the PRIMA subretinal implant helped restore meaningful central vision in ~80% of participants with advanced geographic atrophy (an untreatable form of #AMD).

www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/...

#BionicVision #NeuroTech
Subretinal Photovoltaic Implant to Restore Vision in Geographic Atrophy Due to AMD | NEJM
Geographic atrophy due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible blindness and affects more than 5 million persons worldwide. No therapies to restore vision in ...
www.nejm.org
October 21, 2025 at 5:32 PM
bionic-vision.org
April 30 marks 100 years of Giles S. Brindley FRS.

Pioneer of cortical implants & #BionicVision. 🧠⚡
Architect of modern erectile dysfunction therapy.
Gave the most notorious live demo in scientific history.

A century of impact.

www.bionic-vision.org/people/giles...

#Neuroscience #NeuroTech
bionic-vision.org | People | Giles S. Brindley, MDFRS
Giles Skey Brindley FRS (b. 1926) is a British physiologist whose audacious experiments and engineering brilliance helped launch modern visual prosthetics, neuro-urology, and the science of color…
www.bionic-vision.org
April 30, 2026 at 4:00 AM
bionic-vision.org
ReVision Implant has joined the European Medicine Agency's orphan medical device pilot program. This will streamline access for their Occular implant, aimed at supporting smaller patient groups.

Learn more about the company at:
www.bionic-vision.org/companies/re...

#BionicVision #SightRestoration
Logo of the European Medicines Agency
November 12, 2024 at 4:57 AM
bionic-vision.org
The #FDA has granted PRIMA two Humanitarian Use Device designations: one for advanced geographic atrophy due to #AMD, and one for #Stargardt disease.

A meaningful step toward a US regulatory pathway for PRIMA. #BionicVision

science.xyz/news/hud-des...
PRIMA Has Received Humanitarian Use Device Designations from the US Food and Drug Administration | Science Corporation
Science Corporation is a clinical-stage medical technology company.
science.xyz
July 27, 2026 at 1:00 AM
bionic-vision.org
New in @NeuroCellPress: Deep learning can help predict and control neural responses to electrical stimulation in human visual cortex.

The study points toward visual prostheses that adapt stimulation to the brain’s actual response.

doi.org/10.1016/j.ne...

#BionicVision #BCI #Neurotechnology
Diagram showing how different stimulation strategies try to reproduce a desired pattern of brain activity in a visual cortical implant. A target neural response is converted into electrical stimulation using either simple 1-to-1 electrode mapping, a learned inverse model, or gradient-based optimization. The resulting responses are then predicted by a model or measured in the brain and compared with the target.
August 8, 2026 at 3:00 AM
bionicvisionlab.org
Two #BionicVision studies 👁️🧠 from our lab at #ARVO2026:

1. Argus II timing breaks sighted flicker-fusion assumptions: May 5, 8:30–10:15 AM
2. What shapes blind adults’ attitudes toward vision-restoration technology: May 6, 10:15 AM–12:00 PM

Come find us in Denver!
Flyer advertising the two accepted posters. Text says: UC SANTA BARBARA BIONIC VISION LAB @ ARVO 2026. Followed by 1. Lily Turkstra. Perceptual Integration Window in Argus II: Millisecond Timing and Axon-Bundle Geometry Determine Two-Point Perception. Poster #0978 • 8:30am - 10:15am MT • May 5th. 2. Catrina Coe. Behavioral Determinants of Bionic Vision Adoption in a U.S.-Based Cohort of Blind Adults Poster #0523 • 10:15am - 12:00pm MT • May 6th
May 1, 2026 at 4:00 AM