BrainPort Vision Technology
- What is the BrainPort vision device?
- How is the BrainPort vision device related to the Tongue Display Unit (TDU)?
- Who could benefit from the BrainPort vision device?
- How does the BrainPort vision device work?
- What is the resolution of the display?
- How long does it take to learn?
- Will my experience be similar to the vision I once had?
- Can electrical stimulation hurt my tongue?
- How can I obtain the BrainPort vision device?
- Are there research studies that I may be eligible to participate?*
What is the BrainPort vision device?
The BrainPort vision device is an investigational non-surgical assistive visual prosthetic device that translates information from a digital video camera to your tongue, through gentle electrical stimulation.
How is the BrainPort vision device related to the Tongue Display Unit (TDU)?
The TDU is the first prototype of the technology that has evolved into today's BrainPort vision device.
Who could benefit from the BrainPort vision device?
The current investigational prototype works best for individuals who are blind and have no better than light perception. Since we do not stimulate the eye or optic nerve, our technology has the potential to work across a wide range of visual impairments. We are actively developing device modifications to address the needs for those with low vision such as macular degeneration.
How does the BrainPort vision device work?
The BrainPort vision system consists of a postage-stamp-size electrode array for the top surface of the tongue (the tongue array), a base unit, a digital video camera, and a hand-held controller for zoom and contrast inversion. Visual information is collected from the user-adjustable head-mounted camera (FOV range 3–90 degrees) and sent to the BrainPort base unit. The base unit translates the visual information into an stimulation pattern that is displayed on the tongue. The tactile image is created by presenting white pixels from the camera as strong stimulation, black pixels as no stimulation, and gray levels as medium levels of stimulation, with the ability to invert contrast when appropriate. Users often report the sensation as pictures that are painted on the tongue with Champagne bubbles.
With the current system (arrays containing 100 to 600+ electrodes), study participants have been able to recognize high-contrast objects, their location, movement, and some aspects of perspective and depth. Trained blind participants use information from the tongue display to augment understanding of the environment. Our ongoing research with the BrainPort vision device demonstrates the great potential of tactile vision augmentation and we believe that these findings warrant further exploration. As a result, we are currently working toward the development of optimal tongue display hardware, software, usability and overall device miniaturization.
What is the resolution of the display?
The images below demonstrate how information from the video camera is represented on the tongue. Today's prototypes have 400 to 600 points of information on a ~3cm x 3cm tongue display, presented at approximately 30 frames per second, yielding an information rich stream usable by our participants. Our research suggests that the tongue is capable of resolving much higher resolution information, but that technology is currently too expensive to be practical at this time.
| Original | 100 points |
625 points |
3600 points |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Static |  |
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| Dynamic | |||||
How long does it take to learn?
Our current research studies involve participation between 2-10 hours*. Within minutes of introduction, users may understand where in space stimulation arises (up, down, left and right) and the direction of movement. Within an hour of practice, users can generally identify and reach for nearby objects, and point to and estimate the distance of objects out of reach. With additional training, subjects can identify letters and numbers and can recognize landmark information when using the device in a mobile scenario.
Will I experience vision similar to what I once had?
After a few hours of training, some users have described the experience as resembling a low-resolution version of the vision they once had. In addition, neuroimaging research suggests that for blind individuals, visual regions of the brain are activated while using the BrainPort vision device. Ultimately, the experience is uniquely individual. However, the resulting perception does not need to "feel" like eye-based vision in order to provide assistive benefit.
Can Electrical Stimulation Hurt My Tongue?
You can adjust the intensity of the stimulation to your comfort level. Participants have reported that the impulses feel like champagne bubbles effervescing on their tongue.
How can I obtain the BrainPort vision device?
The BrainPort vision device is an investigational prototype and is not yet for sale in the US or abroad. We plan to take the functionality of today's prototype, miniaturize the components, to produce a commercial assistive device available in the near future. In the meantime, the prototype BrainPort vision device is undergoing research studies across the country to measure perceptual enhancement resulting from BrainPort vision device use*.
Are there research studies that I may be eligible to participate?*
A number of academic and research institutions have had or will have studies using the BrainPort vision device with specific participation requirements. We are open to establishing collaborations with additional institutions. The current sites include: The Atlanta VA (Dr. Michael Williams), University of Montreal (Dr. Maurice Ptito), University of Pittsburgh (Dr. Amy Nau/ Dr. Joel Schuman), Conservatoire National Des Arts et Metiers, France (Dr. Eliana Sampaio), Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (Dr. Anil Raj), University of Wisconsin-Madison (Dr. Yuri Danilov/ Dr. Kurt Kaczmarek/ Mitch Tyler).
* Research studies are conducted under Institutional Review Board approved protocols and with participant consents.
The BrainPort® vision device is an Investigational Device and its use remains limited by U.S. Federal Law to investigational uses only. THE BRAINPORT VISION DEVICE HAS NOT YET BEEN SUBMITTED TO THE FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) FOR CLEARANCE OR APPROVAL AND IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR SALE. WICAB MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE DEVICE SAFETY OR EFFICACY.