Wireless sight

Ray Flynn, an 80-year-old British man, has become the world’s first recipient of a bionic retinal implant designed to restore partially vision lost to age-related macular degeneration. AMD is the most common cause of sight loss in the developed world, affecting between 2 million and 3 million people in the United States. The condition causes deterioration of the visual receptors in the back of the eye.

Performed at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital in the U.K., Flynn’s implant procedure was part of a clinical study to evaluate the safety and feasibility of the retinal device, called the Argus II, for treating AMD. The device has already been approved in the United States and Europe for other retinal degenerative diseases.

Ray Flynn’s retinal implant contains an electrode array and a wireless antenna that receives video signals from a camera mounted on a pair of glasses. The camera captures the scene in front of Flynn. After digitally processing the signal through a unit on his belt, the signal is beamed wirelessly to the implant’s antenna. The video is then sent to the electrode array, which in turn stimulates the optic nerve to produce images.

With a resolution of only 60 pixels, the Argus system restores enough vision for Flynn to perceive simple shapes and patterns, or slowly to read large letters. He will have to learn to interpret the visual representations produced by the implant. Developers of the Argus II are adjusting the system’s settings based on Flynn’s response. Because the system is controlled with software and is upgradeable, they believe performance will improve as they refine the algorithms.

“Mr. Flynn’s progress is truly remarkable; he is seeing the outline of people and objects very effectively,” Paulo Stanga, lead surgeon for the procedure, told the BBC. “I think this could be the beginning of a new era for patients with sight loss.”

Savanna dash cam

In the increasingly desperate battle against poachers, a British conservation organization is equipping South African rhinos with video cameras implanted in their horns.

The “Real-time Anti Poaching Intelligence Device” (RAPID), developed by Protect, a British consortium backed by the Humane Society International, consists of a horn-cam, GPS collar, and heart rate monitor attached to wild rhinos. The system alerts a central control center if it detects the animal’s heart has stopped.

Control center staff then checks the animal’s video feed to confirm it has been killed by poachers, quite possibly catching the faces of the poachers on camera. The center then dispatches a security team within minutes by helicopter or truck to the rhino’s GPS coordinates. The RAPID system compensates for a shortage of anti-poaching rangers patrolling large areas.

“These devices tip the balance strongly in our favor,” said Paul O’Donoghue, chief scientific adviser to the Protect consortium and the inventor of RAPID. “If we can identify poaching events as they happen, we can respond quickly and effectively to apprehend the poachers.” —M.C.

Reinventing the wheel

A puncture-proof automobile tire may be in your future. South Korean tire manufacturer Hankook successfully tested a non-pneumatic (airless) tire prototype made from a recyclable material. The company claims the material significantly streamlines the manufacturing process and cuts down on emissions. In testing, the tire’s performance rivaled conventional pneumatic tires in durability, stability, slalom, and speed. —M.C.