A Hybrid Chip System Design for Visual Prosthetics

The impact of vision loss significantly affects both individuals and their communities. Despite ongoing advancements in technology, current visual prostheses are limited in their ability to restore functional vision, often only producing basic visual perceptions, such as transient flashes of light known as phosphenes. This problem arises from a disconnect between how visual stimuli are presented and how the brain interprets them. It is widely acknowledged in the field that improving neural interfaces is essential. To address this, we propose a hybrid stimulation system that integrates electrical and optogenetic techniques for more precise and effective neural stimulation. By embedding these approaches within a compact 1.5 mm × 1.5 mm microelectronic chip, our design combines the broad activation of electrical stimulation with the targeted precision of optogenetics. This integration mitigates the limitations of each modality, offering higher-quality stimulation to neural tissues. The chip system is developed for visual cortical interfaces, enhancing visual prosthetics and progressing toward restoring functional vision for the blind.