The Vision Institute engages in R&D to realize the Visual Prosthesis. By applying long-cultivated Opto-Mechatronics of NIDEK to advanced medical engineering, and promotes R&D in order to restore the lost vision.
History of Development of Visual Prosthesis
| August, 2001 | NIDEK Vision Institute* is established. *It renamed Vision Institute in April, 2003. |
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| September, 2001 | NIDEK is assigned as a member of the national R&D project for the “Visual Prosthesis” by New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) (to March, 2006). | |
| March, 2003 | The first prototype system is completed. | |
| August, 2005 | The first prototype system is displayed at the NEDO pavilion, EXPO 2005 AICHI JAPAN. | |
| January, 2006 | The second prototype system is developed. | |
| April, 2006 | NIDEK newly receives subsidies to continue the national project (to March, 2008). |
Researcher’s Voice
Yasuo Terasawa, Chief Engineer in Vision Institute
We have been developing R&D on the Visual Prosthesis in cooperation with researchers from universities in the spirit of our Establishment Charter: “Invisible to visible” and our desire: “Delivering helpful solutions to the world” by studying unrealized technology.
My current R&D theme is to develop the “Stimulus Electrodes”, that are the essential component for the implant. Each of indivisual electrodes are fabricated independently then aligned to be integrated into one component called an “Electrode Array”. These electrodes are made of platinum, which is difficult material to process mechanically.
However, platinum is an optimal material for the implantable electrodes, so we have been focusing on realizing better electrodes using platinum. Though our system still needs further improvement for practical use, the expectation of blind people have been urging us for the earliest realization of visual prostheses.
We will continue to tackle the R&D of the Visual Prosthesis on our full effort.
R&D on Visual Prosthesis
