An American company has just received the green light from the FDA to market a revolutionary product intended for the blind and visually impaired.
The Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), responsible among other things for authorizing the sale of drugs in the United States, has just given the green light for the marketing of a device that could revolutionize people’s daily lives. blind and visually impaired. Called BrainPort V100, it will have the capacity, thanks to several sensors placed on the user’s tongue, to help him orientate himself, even to allow him to project an idea of the world around him.
Electrical messages transmitted directly to the tongue
Its principle is simple. A camera is mounted on a pair of glasses accompanied by a small intra oral device equipped with a set of electrodes placed on the tongue. A software then has the task of translating the images recorded by the camera into an electrical signal. These make the electrodes react via vibrations and tingling that the user can feel in real time. As explained the FDA press release, with a little practice and practice, the signals are easily interpreted and make it possible to determine the position, the size of an object and to know if the latter moves or is stationary.
“Innovations like these are capable of helping millions of people,” says William Maisel of the FDA. And it is important that technology continues to advance to help blind Americans live better, be more independent ”. It must be said that blindness is a major health problem across the Atlantic, since nearly 1.2 million Americans are affected. By 2050, this figure could explode to 4 million.
A majority of satisfied users
The BrainPort V100 was able to receive FDA approval because it successfully passed the various safety and efficacy tests requested by the US health agency. The thorniest problem was whether the device placed in the mouth could be a potential danger for the user, because it was electric. A study that looked at the product showed that 69% of 74 wearers tested spent a year using the device without any problems. The others had no major problems, it was mostly superficial burns and a metallic taste in the mouth. On the other hand, the recognition tests are excellent, since the majority of users surveyed have experienced a major advance in their recognition of objects and in their perception of the world they do not know.
A miracle device for the blind and visually impaired Americans therefore, but not only. According to figures put forward by the WHO, there are 45 million blind people around the world, 80% of which can be avoided or treated. And if technology is advancing rapidly to make their lives easier (connected cane, implants, etc.), the BrainPort V100 seems to be a major leap. Developed by the company Wicab Inc., it should be marketed at a price of $ 10,000 (approximately € 8,000).
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