Elon Musk's brain-computer interface implant startup Neuralink has received FDA breakthrough device designation for Blindsight, an implant that aims to restore vision in individuals who are blind.
Blindsight implants a microelectrode array into the visual cortex of a person’s brain. The array then activates neurons, which then provide the individual with a visual image.
According to Musk, the...
OrCam, an Israeli company working on augmented reality for the blind and vision impaired, has raised $30.4 million. According to Reuters, which broke the news, the round included Israeli insurer Clal Insurance and investment group Meitav Dash. The round takes the company's total funding to just over $130 million and place's the company's valuation at $1 billion. CEO Ziv Aviram told Reuters the...
San Diego-based Aira has raised $12 million to continue developing its smart glasses that combine AI and remote human agents to help blind and low-vision people navigate the world. JAZZ Venture Partners and Arboretum Ventures led the round and existing investors Lux Capital, ARCH Venture Partners and Felicis Ventures participated. The National Federation of the Blind joined the round as a...
IBM Research and Carnegie Mellon University are working on a smartphone app that would help blind and visually impaired people navigate their surroundings, by communicating information about the users surroundings to them via audio cues or vibrations.
The app, called NavCog, will initially be specific to the Carnegie Mellon campus, as it will rely on Bluetooth beacons placed around walkways and...
