Working with researchers from seven European organizations in a €4M FET-Open project, NeuroTech-NL scientists are examining how to further improve the artificial vision provided by neural implants to visually impaired people. This team brings together expertise from information technology (IT), system and clinical neuroscience, materials technology, microsystems engineering, and artificial intelligence (AI) to contribute jointly to advances in neurostimulation hardware and software.

This project focuses specifically on increasing the electrode-count in the neural prostheses, developing more flexible probes that cause minimal tissue damage, and reducing weight and energy to increase efficiency. Building from the Nestor project, newly developed algorithms will make use of “closed-loop” principles, such that visually impaired persons will be able to recognize objects and facial expressions, and be able to navigate their way around more complex environments.

The “NeuraViPeR” project consortium’s ultimate goal is to develop new brain-computer interface (BCI) technology that will work safely and effectively for decades. (This project is coordinated by the University of Zurich).