Real-time phosphene simulation for assessment of artificial vision that uses cortical stimulation

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24650314
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
• Research Institution: Osaka University
• Principal Investigator: OKUNO Hirotsugu 大阪大学, 工学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (30531587)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 人工視覚 / シミュレーション / 視覚野

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We developed a system that simulates phosphene, which is the perception of a spot of light, elicited by electrical stimulation on the visual cortex. The system generates a simulated phosphene image that would be perceived by the client in response to electrical stimulation applied by an electrode array on the cortex; the simulated image is based on previous physiological and clinical studies. The system is composed of a CMOS image sensor that has image processing circuits, a single board computer, and a head-mounted display. Taking advantages of its wearable feature, the system displays simulated phosphene images to the freely moving subject in real time. The system could be an effective tool for evaluating the level of vision that would be perceived by the client, and for designing a visual prosthetic system.

Free Research Field

電子工学