Dr. E.J. Chichilnisky is a Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University, where he and his lab are developing a retinal prosthesis. E.J. completed his B.S. in Mathematics at Princeton University, and his Masters in Mathematics and Ph.D. in Neuroscience at Stanford University.
Top 3 Takeaways
- Dr. E.J. Chichilnisky’s lab is developing next-generation retinal prostheses to help restore sight to people with retinal degeneration.
- E.J.’s approach relies on activating specific types of retinal cells that perform specific functions based on the image the patient should see, instead of activating retinal cells indiscriminately.
- The line between therapeutic and augmentative uses of neurotechnology is very fine.
Show Notes
- [1:03] E.J. talks about his academic background, and how it led to his work on artificial retinas.
- [1:50] E.J.’s unique approach to retinal prostheses.
- [3:25] E.J. describes retinal anatomy and physiology, and how his research leverages that.
- [5:00] Current retinal prostheses versus E.J.’s cutting-edge prosthesis.
- [6:37] The hardware, software, neurophysiological, and surgical aspects of E.J.’s work.
- [8:26] Does E.J.’s work apply to the machine vision world?
- [9:50] The broader implications of E.J.’s work.
- [11:15] The retina as a stepping-stone to other neural interfaces.
- [13:12] Timeline for artificial retinas in clinical use.
- [15:32] Augmentation with neural interfaces.
- [17:03] The fine line between therapeutic and augmentative BMIs.
- [18:55] What will be the most impactful application of neurotechnology in the next decade?
Selected Links
- Chichilnisky Lab
- E.J.’s reading suggestion: Portraits of the Mind
- Science of the retina
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