Scientists have already managed to see through the eye of a cat by probing the electrical impulses of certain parts of it's brain, so I believe this idea may well be possible now, if not in the not too distant future. Basically, instead of the optic nerve of the eye being connected straight to the brain, it could be connect to a small processor and transmitter, that can interpret the electrical impulses, and transmit them to a similar processor and a receiver implanted into the brain. These signals could then be tranlslated into electrical impulses the brain will be able to construct images similar to normal vision.
This would probably be originally limited to just a human eye in someone's eyesocket, as a medical aid for someone whose optic nerve is damaged or destroyed. In half-bakery terms, this could result in removable eyeballs, able to be left wherever you wish, to see whatever you want. An improvement would maybe be a model eyelid, which the brain can tell to close if a sight you wish to avoid should arise. Finally, a camera could be used, and this could send images to your brain in a similar way, essentially allowing you a third eye. Or more, if you can afford it, and/or the brain can support it.
There could be a few slight problems and advantages to this however. Anyone with one of these eyeballs could in theory have their images intercepted by someone with another eyeball of the same transmitting frequency or wavelength. This would mean having to use a different frequency and/or wavelength for every single eye. Also, it's conceivable that the images seen could be downloaded into a memory chip, or straight to a computer. Good if you've witnessed a crime, bad if you're girlfriend suspects you of cheating with her two best friends... (Sorry)
Technically, this isn't even limited to eyes, but I thought it a good place to start.-- quaero curvus, Apr 14 2005 (?) Computer uses cat's brain to see http://www.anomalou...m/news/news524.html"Scientists have literally seen the world through cat's eyes" 8 Oct 1999 [half, Apr 14 2005] Bionic eyes http://www.technolo...5/chase0599.asp?p=0Tests have already been run [fridge duck, Apr 14 2005] Restored vision http://www.shackled...i/random/blind.htmlBrain implants + small camera [fridge duck, Apr 14 2005] //Scientists have already managed to see through the eye of a cat by probing the electrical impulses of certain parts of it's brain//
Interesting, do you have a link for that?-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, Apr 14 2005 Unfortunately, I don't have a link for that, I just caught the end of a program about it on tv-- quaero curvus, Apr 14 2005 Baked. There was something in a newspaper I read a few months ago about a man who regained a small amount of eyesight (Not much more than different shades of light). However, the technology has been around for a while and the theory even longer than that. See the link for the original tests, I'll post the thing I read if I can find it.-- fridge duck, Apr 14 2005 I'm not plaguarising the technology, I'm developing it, giving it a use that hopefully hasn't been suggested before-- quaero curvus, Apr 15 2005 From a class in psychology 101 long ago I recall a cat that grew up in a room painted with only vertical strips was unable during it’s remaining life to comprehend horizontal strips as the brain had become fixed. Was the study flawed or not applicable to humans? Perhaps this implant technology would help those that had vision in the past but I wonder for those poor folks that were born blind?-- Widgit, Apr 16 2005 I like it, but how do you make the extraocular muscles detachable, and how do you keep the eye moist? Also, what powers the radio and how long does it last?-- notexactly, Mar 05 2016 random, halfbakery