A U.K. soldier who was blinded by a grenade in Iraq has regained partial vision using a special pair of glasses that allow him to "see" using his tongue, according to a BBC story.
Lance Cpl. Craig Lundberg, 24, from Liverpool, can read words, identify shapes, and walk unaided thanks to the BrainPort device, which gives him "lingual vision."
The BrainPort, developed by Wicab of Middleton, WI, comprises a tiny video camera attached to a pair of sunglasses linked to a plastic "lollypop" device that the user places on the tongue. Visual information is collected from a video camera and translated into gentle electrical stimulation patterns on the tongue's surface via the device. Users describe it as pictures drawn on their tongue with champagne bubbles, the company Web site states.
Lundberg lost his sight after being struck by a rocket-propelled grenade while serving in Basra in 2007. He was chosen by the U.K. Ministry of Defense (MoD) to be the first person to test the BrainPort, the BBC reported.
Users cannot speak or eat while using the BrainPort, so Wicab is hoping to create a smaller device that could be permanently fixed behind the teeth or to the roof of the mouth enabling more natural use, according to the BBC story.
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