Science Corporation has taken a significant step forward in the field of vision restoration, successfully implanting its PRIMA chip in its first patient with Stargardt disease. The chip, which works by replacing damaged eye cells with an artificial implant, has already shown promising results, allowing the patient to read a word during his first rehabilitation session.

CEO Max Hodak, drawing on his experience with Neuralink, sees this as part of a broader mission to develop brain-computer interfaces for a wide range of medical applications. 'The retina is part of the central nervous system,' he explained, 'and we can essentially extend vision by correcting the signals sent to the brain.'

The PRIMA chip is a two-millimetre square implant placed in the back of the eye, providing a high-contrast view of the world. While the field of view is currently limited, the company is already working on improving the technology, aiming to expand the field of view and increase the detail of the implant. Hodak envisions a future where BCIs could be used to address not only visual but also neurological conditions, potentially even extending human health spans.

As Hodak noted, the company's ultimate goal is to understand how the brain creates the mind, and to learn how to build engineered brains. While this may sound like science fiction, Science Corporation is already making strides towards this vision, with plans to apply its technology to neurodegenerative diseases and stroke recovery in the near future.