Various cybernetic limb and organ replacements were recently
featured in IEEE’s flash demo called The Bionic Body Shop, but
we were most interested by the bionic eye and the cochlear
implant (we already discussed the featured powered exoskeleton).
These are notable for the fact that they are not merely high-
tech prosthetic replacements strapped to or worn on the body,
but implants that are housed within the body and work with
flesh-and-blood sense organs on a much closer level than any
preceding technology. The Argus II Retinal Stimulation System is
biotech firm Second Sight’s bionic eye, and it works by
attaching 60 electrodes directly to the retina that stimulate
light and dark receptors to form an image the human brain can
parse. The electrodes are also connected to a small housing unit
implanted more deeply within the skull; the housing unit
contains a battery, video processor, and wireless receiver. The
receiver gets video data from a small camera mounted in a pair
of glasses. The technology is currently