A British soldier who lost his sight in Iraq  3 years ago after being hit by a rocket grenade launcher is now able to ‘see’, visualize shapes, read words and walk without any help. All this has been made possible by the use of a new device that the soldier can insert in his mouth like a lolly pop and an external camera sends electrical signals to the sensors in mouth thereby allowing the person to visualize his surroundings.

24 year old, Lance corporal Craig Lundberg from Britain, Liverpool is a test subject for this BrainPort miniature video camera and sensory equipment which could potentially revolutionize the treatment of blind patients in general and giving sight to military personnel who somehow lose their ability to see while serving in the battlefield.

According to Craig, “It’s only a prototype, but the potential to change my life is massive. It has enabled me to pick up objects straight away, I can reach out and pick them up when before I would be fumbling around.”

The device consists of a tiny video camera connected to the pair of sun glasses and takes the visual images taken from the camera to the tongue sensors. The different changes in tingles and patterns allows the person to have an approximate visualizaation of the sorroundings and helps him navigate. The device currently costs at around £18,000  which includes the training costs.

via| Guardian.co.uk