Scientists have developed an artificial electrochemical eye that could provide vision for humanoid robots, or function as a bionic eye for visually-impaired people.
When we started NTEB over a decade ago, the robots of that time were compelling but clunky, they amused more than they amazed. But then Google decided to start buying up the top private robotics companies and a hundred million or so dollars later, robots have become smooth, streamlined and freakily proficient.
"And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed." Revelation 13:14,15 (KJB)
Computers were around for quite a few years before bursting onto the national consciousness in 1994, and in 2020 we now stand on a similar precipice with robotics. Researchers, scientists and inventors have been toiling around the clock for years, and very soon robots and self-driving autonomous transportation will be everywhere. Getting in an Uber with no human driver will very soon be commonplace, as will robots taking your order at restaurants and then serving it to you. That's how close were truly are.
"But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Daniel 12:4 (KJB)
In 6 days SpaceX will
launch a rocket into Outer Space carrying its first human occupants, and it will either be a disaster, or a stunning win for Elon Musk who has no previous experience with rockets or Outer Space. Is there no end to what man can invent? Knowledge increasing, check....people running to and fro, check...Flight #777 on the runway, also check.
Artificial Bionic Eye Will Transform The Science Of Robotics
FROM THE INDEPENDENT UK: Researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology built the ElectroChemical Eye – dubbed EC-Eye – to resemble the size and shape of a biological eye, but with vastly greater potential.
The eye mimics the human iris and retina using a lens to focus light onto a dense arrays of light-sensitive nanowires. Information is then passed through the wires, which act like the brain’s visual cortex, to a computer for processing.
During tests, the computer was able to recognise the letters ‘E’, ‘I’ and ‘Y’ when they were projected onto the lens. The artificial eye could in theory be connected to an optic nerve to relay information to a human brain, the researchers said, while also improving camera-based eyes currently used on robots.
“Biological eyes are arguably the most important sensing organ for most of the animals on this planet,” the researchers wrote in a paper describing the breakthrough. “Mimicking human eyes, artificial vision systems are just as essential in autonomous technologies such as robotics. Particularly for humanoid robots, the vision system should resemble that of a human in appearance to enable amicable human–robot interaction, in addition to having superior device characteristics.”
The proof-of-concept device currently has a low resolution, as each of the 100 nanowires used in its construction only accounts for one pixel. However, the researchers said that further development could allow the artificial eye to have even better resolution that human eyes. Up to 10-times more nanowires than biological photoreceptors could potentially be used, allowing the artificial eye to distinguish between visual light and infrared radiation.
This would allow a human user of the bionic eye to see smaller objects and further distance, while also gaining night vision capabilities. A paper detailing the research was
published in the journal Nature on Wednesday.
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