Elon Musk announced the readiness of the Blindsight device for blind people
American entrepreneur Elon Musk announced that the development of the Blindsight device, designed for blind people, is ready from a technical standpoint. He wrote about this on the social network X.
Elon Musk has stated that the Blindsight device for blind people is now ready.
"Our second product is called Blindsight. As the name suggests, it will enable even those who are completely blind or have never seen to see," Musk wrote.
According to him, from an engineering standpoint, the device is already complete, but the developers are still awaiting regulatory approval.
In September 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Blindsight "Breakthrough Device Designation." This status is awarded to medical devices intended to treat or diagnose life-threatening conditions, and it is designed to speed up their development and review.
As media outlets note, this status indeed accelerates the review procedure, but "does not mean the implant has been determined to be safe or effective, nor does it clear it for sale." The device remains experimental.
Unlike Neuralink's first implant, Telepathy, which reads brain signals, Blindsight reportedly transmits visual information directly to the visual cortex, bypassing damaged eyes and the optic nerve. Images from an external camera are converted into electrical signals and wirelessly sent to electrodes that stimulate brain neurons.