Mark Pollock reads letters with his Tongue.

Today, blind adventurer Mark Pollock tested a device called a Brainport. It allows blind people to perceive objects using a camera mounted on glasses which sends the image to an electrode held on the tongue. The tongue receives the pixels of the image as current which the brain sends to the visual cortex to decipher. Still at the research stage of the development, today Mark took part in a trial of the device which is about to be put forward for FDA approval and hopefully commercial availability. The professional speaker lost his sight through a detached retina 12 years ago and last July fell and broke his back leaving him paralysed from the waist down. He is in the U.S. at the moment taking part in an intensive physical therapy program at Project Walk in southern California. This program and the Brainport use the principles known as neuroplasticity - that the brain and the nervous system is plastic, that it can adapt and re-learn new ways to behave after such catastrophic injuries as Mark has suffered. For more go to www.markpollock.com and click on blog.

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• Mark
• Pollock
• Project
• Walk
• Brainport
• Wicab
• Blind
• Paralysed
• Speaker
• Adventurer
• South
• Pole

[curlydebs75]

How amazing is that - who woulda thunk that drinking champagne could lead to some far out perception??

Great to see you exploring and using all your skills. Amazing stuff!!

[nialdean]

amazing mark