Gennaris is a cortical visual prosthesis. It has been designed to bypass damage to the eye and optic nerve, to restore functional vision to people who have lost their sight through traumatic injury and conditions such as glaucoma and acquired retinal disease. Gennaris is currently preparing to undergo human clinical trials in Australia.

Background

Gennaris comprises a miniature camera worn by the user on custom designed headgear. High-resolution images from the camera are fed to a vision processor unit, which applies a number of signal processing techniques to extract the most useful features from the camera images. This new signal is fed – via a wireless transmitter – to up to 11 devices or 'tiles' that have been surgically implanted in the primary visual cortex of the brain. Each tile houses its own circuitry, wireless receiver and 43 hair-thin microelectrodes that stimulate the neurons in the primary visual cortex.

Device Specifications

• Number of electrodes: 473
• Electrode layout: hexagonal
• Image processor location: external