Just prior to Christmas, Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, announced that Monash V1sion had been awarded grant assistance from the Australian Research Council to develop the Bionic Eye.
In collaboration with commercial partners MiniFAB and Grey Innovation, Monash V1sion will work with the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne to deliver a cortical implant that will stimulate the visual cortex and restore lost vision. It is anticipated that the implant will be ready for human trials in four years.
With the Bionic Ear already a global success, perhaps we should have our sights set on an Aussie-built Steve Austin! (Incidentally, Lee Majors, the original Six Million Dollar Man, is now selling Bionic hearing aids.)
