New visual-processing model to be used in bionic eye

April 2, 2001 | Source: KurzweilAI

University of California, Berkeley neurobiologists have discovered that the eye sends sketchy representations (edges, shadows, bright areas, movement, etc.) of visual information to the brain, contradicting the consensus view that images from the retina are transmitted intact to the brain.

In a paper in Nature March 29, the UC Berkeley researchers provide evidence of 12 neural channels, corresponding to specific dentrite layers in the retina.

The new visual-processing model will be used in developing a bionic eye (“Cellular Neural Network”), with a computer chip programmed to do visual processing just like the retina.