Phase II year
2016
(last award dollars: 2023)
Phase II Amount
$2,384,987
?We propose to develop and evaluate the utility of a thermal imaging system as an input modality to a retinal prosthetic. Retinal prostheses restore partial vision to people blinded by outer retinal degenerative diseases such as Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) or Macular Degeneration. The Argus II retinal prosthesis system is intended to provide electrical stimulation of the retina to elicit visual perception in blind individuals with severe to profound retinitis pigmentosa. The implanted epiretinal array provides a grid of electrodes. Electrical pulses at these sites stimulate the retina's remaining cells and result in te perception of patterns of light in the brain. Ordinary light and color information is difficult for wearers to effectively process in many important tasks with the limited perceived spatial resolution. Current compensation techniques in reduced resolution systems apply enhancement, magnification, and panning of visible light imagery, and these techniques have utility to retinal implants. However, other information sources, such as thermal imaging, more naturally align to the limited resolution of retinal arrays and improve the utility of the system i important tasks such as people finding and mobility. The proposed project seeks to provide thermal imagery as an input modality to retinal implants. Following successful development of a prototype thermal imaging system and promising results during tests in Argus II retinal prosthesis wearers in phase I, we are now proposing the development and validation of an integrated visible and thermal imaging system under phase II. A fully-integrated prototype system will be developed that includes visible and thermal cameras and associated digital signal processing software to provide user-controllable combined thermal/visible imagery options to prosthesis wearers. This new system will be evaluated in a substantial trial.
Public Health Relevance Statement: Public Health Relevance: The proposed project relates to the utilization of thermal imaging as an input modality to a retinal prosthetic. Retinal prostheses aim to help people who have lost their vision due to degenerative eye conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa or macular degeneration to perceive shapes and movement, to become more mobile, or to perform other day-to-day activities.
NIH Spending Category: Assistive Technology; Bioengineering; Clinical Research; Eye Disease and Disorders of Vision; Neurodegenerative; Neurosciences; Rehabilitation
Project Terms: Algorithms; blind; Blindness; Brain; Cells; Characteristics; Clinical Trials; Color; Computer software; computerized data processing; design; Development; Devices; Digital Signal Processing; Doctor of Philosophy; Electric Stimulation; Electrodes; Electronics; Equipment; Evaluation; experience; Eye; Eyeglasses; FDA approved; Financial compensation; Glass; Housing; Human; Image; Imagery; imaging system; Implant; improved; Institutes; Lead; Letters; Light; Lighting; Macular degeneration; Medical; Medical Electronics; medical schools; meetings; mid-career faculty; Modality; Motor; Movement; multidisciplinary; Ophthalmology; Panthera leo; Patients; pattern perception; Phase; Physiologic pulse; Pigments; Principal Investigator; Process; Production; Prosthesis; prosthesis wearer; prototype; public health relevance; Radiation; Reading; Recording of previous events; Rehabilitation Centers; Research; research and development; Research Project Grants; Resolution; Retina; retina implantation; Retinal; Retinal Degeneration; retinal prosthesis; Retinitis Pigmentosa; Shapes; Signal Transduction; Silicon; Site; Source; Specific qualifier value; System; systems research; Techniques; Technology; Temperature; Testing; Translating; Universities; Validation; Visible Radiation; Vision; vision rehabilitation; Vision research; Visual; Visual Perception; Visually Impaired Persons; Work
