# Object Finder for a Retinal Prosthesis

> **NIH NIH R44** · MINNESOTA HEALTHSOLUTIONS CORPORATION · 2020 · $812,091

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
We propose to develop and evaluate the utility of advanced object recognition algorithms to control the
information provided to retinal prosthetic patients. Retinal prostheses restore partial vision to people blinded by
outer retinal degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) or macular degeneration. The Argus II
retinal prosthesis system is intended to provide electrical stimulation of the retina to elicit visual perception in
blind individuals with severe to profound retinitis pigmentosa. The implanted epiretinal array provides a grid of
electrodes. Electrical pulses at these sites stimulate the retina's remaining cells and result in the perception of
patterns of light in the brain. Ordinary light and color information is difficult for wearers to effectively process in
many important tasks with the limited perceived spatial resolution. Current compensation techniques in
reduced resolution systems apply enhancement, magnification, and panning of visible light imagery, and these
techniques have utility to retinal implants. However, other information sources, such as information provided
from image processing performed on the visible light imagery obtained by the prosthesis camera, may more
naturally align to the limited resolution of retinal arrays and improve the utility of the system in important tasks
such as object finding. The proposed project seeks to provide object recognition as a feature in a retinal
implant system. Users will be able to direct an object recognition application to find a desired object in the field
of view of the head-mounted camera, and to direct the user's view towards it through the presentation of a
recognizable icon. A prototype system will be developed and evaluated in human subjects in phase I. A full
system implementation and trial will be completed in phase II.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9882285
- **Project number:** 5R44EY027650-03
- **Recipient organization:** MINNESOTA HEALTHSOLUTIONS CORPORATION
- **Principal Investigator:** Kevin M. Kramer
- **Activity code:** R44 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $812,091
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-07-01 → 2022-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9882285

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9882285, Object Finder for a Retinal Prosthesis (5R44EY027650-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9882285. Licensed CC0.

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