Retinal Prosthesis with Enhanced Thermal Imaging

 描述（由申请人提供）：我们建议开发和评估热成像系统作为视网膜假体输入模态的实用性。视网膜假体可以恢复因视网膜色素变性（RP）或黄斑变性等外部视网膜退行性疾病而失明的人的部分视力。Argus II视网膜假体系统预期用于为患有重度至极重度视网膜色素变性的盲人提供视网膜电刺激，以引发视觉感知。植入的视网膜前阵列提供电极网格。这些部位的电脉冲刺激视网膜的剩余细胞，并导致大脑对光模式的感知。普通的光线和颜色信息很难被 佩戴者在有限的感知空间分辨率下有效地处理许多重要任务。在降低分辨率系统中的当前补偿技术应用可见光图像的增强、放大和平移，并且这些技术对视网膜植入物具有实用性。然而，其他信息源，如热成像，更自然地对准视网膜阵列的有限分辨率，并提高系统在重要任务中的实用性，如人员发现和移动性。拟议的项目旨在提供热成像作为视网膜植入的输入模式。在第一阶段Argus II视网膜假体佩戴者的测试中，成功开发了原型热成像系统并取得了令人鼓舞的结果，我们现在建议在第二阶段开发和验证集成的可见光和热成像系统。将开发一个完全集成的原型系统，其中包括可见光和热成像相机以及相关的数字信号处理软件，为假肢佩戴者提供用户可控的热/可见光组合成像选项。这一新系统将在一次实质性试验中得到评估。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to develop and evaluate the utility of a thermal imaging system as an input modality to a retinal prosthetic. Retinal prostheses restore partial vision to people blinded by outer retinal degenerative diseases such as Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) or Macular Degeneration. The Argus II retinal prosthesis system is intended to provide electrical stimulation of the retina to elicit visual perception in blind individuals with severe to profound retinitis pigmentosa. The implanted epiretinal array provides a grid of electrodes. Electrical pulses at these sites stimulate the retina's remaining cells and result in te perception of patterns of light in the brain. Ordinary light and color information is difficult for wearers to effectively process in many important tasks with the limited perceived spatial resolution. Current compensation techniques in reduced resolution systems apply enhancement, magnification, and panning of visible light imagery, and these techniques have utility to retinal implants. However, other information sources, such as thermal imaging, more naturally align to the limited resolution of retinal arrays and improve the utility of the system i important tasks such as people finding and mobility. The proposed project seeks to provide thermal imagery as an input modality to retinal implants. Following successful development of a prototype thermal imaging system and promising results during tests in Argus II retinal prosthesis wearers in phase I, we are now proposing the development and validation of an integrated visible and thermal imaging system under phase II. A fully-integrated prototype system will be developed that includes visible and thermal cameras and associated digital signal processing software to provide user-controllable combined thermal/visible imagery options to prosthesis wearers. This new system will be evaluated in a substantial trial.