An artificial eyeball developed by a team in the United States allows blind people to see the world again. This product uses 3D printing technology to distribute some special ink on the half eyeball. When the ink dries, a photosensitive diode is installed. When a blind person wears it, the sensed images can be converted into electrical signals and sent to the brain to see things around them. This eyeball is made of a very soft special material, which is safe and reliable. Hope technology can help blind people see a better world soon!
A few years ago, researchers at the University of Minnesota used a 3D printer to create an "artificial eye" capable of detecting changes in light levels and said the next step was to add more light receptors to its surface.
The research team used their custom-built 3D printer to operate on a hemispherical glass dome using silver particles as the base ink. The silver particle ink stays in place and dries evenly, rather than running down a curved surface. The researchers then printed photodiodes using semiconducting polymer materials that convert light into electricity. The whole process takes about an hour.
While there is still a long way to go to reliably print active electronics, 3D-printed semiconductors have already demonstrated efficiencies comparable to semiconductor devices fabricated by microfabrication equipment. The former can easily print semiconductor devices on curved surfaces, but the latter cannot.
Researchers have created a three-dimensional artificial eye that can detect changes in light levels. Bionic eyes mimic the function of the retina to help restore vision, working with implants to convert the images it sees into electrical impulses for retinal cells, which transmit image signals back to the brain. Using 3D printing technology, scientists can create bionic eyes faster, which is expected to be a viable commercial solution in the future, but no date has been set for when the final version will be produced for patients.
The next step, the researchers say, is to create prototype eyeballs with more light receptors, allowing for clearer restored vision. They are also looking for a way to 3D print a bionic eye on a softer material and place it in a patient's eye socket.
If this technology can be successful, it will really benefit mankind.