Scientists Create Robot Surrogate for the Blind

Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created an unique remote-controlled robot that is able to simulate the “visual” experience of a blind person who has been implanted with a visual prosthesis, such as an artificial retina. An artificial retina consists of a silicon chip studded with a varying number of electrodes that directly stimulate retinal nerve cells. It is hoped that this approach may one day give blind persons the freedom of independent mobility.

The robot is called CYCLOPS and …