How do EnChroma glasses help in correcting color blindness?To understand this, we have to understand the concept behind color vision and color blindness. We see images with the help of <a href="https://www.kenhub.com/en/library/anatomy/photoreceptors">photoreceptor cells</a> present in the retina. We have two types of photoreceptor cells present in the retina. They are rod cells and cone cells. Rod cells help in night vision. Cone cells help in seeing colors.We have <a href="https://enchroma.com/pages/what-is-color-blindness">three types</a> of color-sensing cone cells in our eyes. They are red, green, and blue cone cells. Each of these three cone cells have overlapping regions in the spectrum of light they absorb. Whenever the overlapping of the spectrum is broader, it results in poor color differentiation. This condition is called color blindness. It is also known as color vision deficiency (CVD).There are different types of color blindness ranging from partial-to-complete color blindness. People with CVD have difficulty differentiating between colors such as yellow and orange, green and brown, pink and gray, or blue and purple. This inability to distinguish the colors is called red-green color blindness. The other type of color blindness is blue-yellow color blindness. It is due to the inability to see shades of blue and confusion between blue and green colors. In very rare cases, a person can be completely color blind.Definition of EnChromaNow, let's understand the concept behind the name EnChroma glasses. En- is the prefix, which means "within." Chroma is defined as the intensity of a distinctive hue or saturation of a color. These glasses filter the light with a specific wavelength to reduce the spectrum's broader overlapping to keep it within a specific spectrum of colors. Thus the name EnChroma glasses.To understand more about Chroma, you can refer to <a href="https://munsell.com/about-munsell-color/how-color-notation-works/munsell-chroma/">Munsell Chroma</a>.Evolution of EnChroma GlassesHaving understood the concept behind color blindness and EnChroma glasses, let's delve into the details of the idea used in the filters that coat EnChroma glasses and the type of color blindness it corrects.The filter used to eliminate the overlapping of the wavelengths of light is called <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/253316909_Demonstration_of_narrowband_notch_and_multi-notch_filters#:~:text=Narrow%20notch%20and%20multi%2Dnotch,have%20applications%20in%20many%20fields.&amp;text=JDSU%20has%20recently%20developed%20a,are%20greater%20than%20OD%206.">optical interference filters</a>.There are two types of optical interference filters. They are narrow notch and multi-notch filters. These filters are primarily used in Raman spectroscopy and laser-based fluorescence. These applications require filtering different wavelengths to pass the required wavelength of light through the spectroscopy to carry out the desired experiments.The same principle is used in EnChroma glasses, which uses <a href="https://observer.com/2016/06/you-can-correct-your-color-blindness-with-these-revolutionary-glasses/">multi-notch filters</a> to strongly suppress one or more wavelengths or narrow bands of wavelengths and maintain higher transmittance of nearby wavelengths. This suppression or cutouts in the visible spectrum help to enhance colors and correct color blindness.Type of Color Blindness Corrected by EnChroma GlassesThe <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2016/06/27/159088/how-enchromas-glasses-correct-color-blindness/#:~:text=Color%2Dblindness%20is%20often%20a,colors%2C%20especially%20red%20and%20green.">EnChroma glasses</a> reduce overlapping regions between red and green cone cells by using a filter. This helps to improve the color vision in people suffering from red-green color blindness.Key TakeawaysEnChroma glasses help to correct red-green color blindness like any vision correction glasses that correct the vision. It does not cure any color blindness.It does not correct any other color blindness.After wearing the EnChroma glasses, it usually takes between 5 to 15 minutes to see the colors.You have to wear these glasses all the time, like vision correction glasses.

Venkatesh

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Technology

EnChroma Glasses Bring Color to Your Life

Neuralink is Elon Musk's neuroscience startup, which has developed a coin-sized computer chip that can be implanted in the human brain to cure neurological conditions like Alzheimer's, dementia, and spinal cord injuries and ultimately fuse humankind with artificial intelligence. The Neuralink is a wireless implant, unlike any other neural implants.Before understanding Neuralink further, let's understand the nervous system, neurons, neurotransmitters, and functionality of neurons to further understand the functionality of neural implants and Neuralink.Our nervous system is divided into three main parts. They are central nervous system (CNS), peripheral nervous system (PNS), and autonomic nervous system (ANS).The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord. The PNS consists of nerves and ganglia that connect to the CNS. The ANS consists of the nerves which connect the involuntary organs like the heart, stomach and lungs.The CNS is responsible for the integration of sensory information and responding to it. The primary function of the PNS is to connect CNS to every part of the body. The main function of the ANS is to regulate the function of internal organs.What are neurons and how do they work?The nervous system is made up of nerve cells called neurons. They communicate with each other by nerve endings called synapses. They use neurotransmitters to pass on the electric signal from one neuron to another neuron or one neuron to an effector cell. A myelin sheath protects the neurons.What are neural implants?A neural implant is an electrode placed inside the brain and is connected to a neurostimulator implanted on the chest or abdomen. This neurostimulator generates electric impulses that are transmitted to the electrodes placed deep in the brain to activate the targeted area of brain cells.What are the uses of neural implants?Neural implants are used to treat essential tremors of hands, legs, trunk, voice and head; multiple sclerosis, intractable pain, dystonia, and other psychiatric conditions like obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, and depression that does not respond to medicines.Elon Musk's Neuralink is also a neural implant, but it is advanced and computerized. It does not need external stimulators. It is a coin-sized computer chip. Elon Musk's Neuralink was implanted in a pig's brain named Gertrude for two months. Neuralink proved to be efficient in curing human disease with conventional implants.Neuralink helps to cure neurological conditions like Alzheimer's disease, dementia, spinal cord injuries and fuse humans with artificial intelligence. The first prototype in a person may take some time, as getting federal approval is difficult. But it is being tested on a monkey and the monkey was able to control a computer with his brain.<h3 id="neuralink-and-computer-control">Neuralink and Computer Control</h3>Threads that are finer and measuring in microns are inserted into areas of the brain that control movement. There are many electrodes in each thread that connect them to the Neuralink. These implantable devices process, stimulate, and transmit neural signals.<h3 id="the-neuralink-app">The Neuralink App</h3>The Neuralink app will help you control your iOS device, keyboard, and mouse directly with your brain's activity, just by thinking about it. The Neuralink app would guide you through exercises that teach you to control your device. FDA does not yet approve these. So, they are not available in the market. You will be able to control devices with Bluetooth connectivity, such as any mouse or keyboard, and experience unmediated reality and high fidelity.<h3 id="what-is-neuralink-developing">What is Neuralink Developing?</h3>Neuralink builds a fully integrated brain machine interface (BMI) system. It is also called a brain computer interface (BCI). BMI technology enables a computer or other digital device to communicate directly with the brain. This helps a person with paralysis control a computer mouse or keyboard from the information read out from the brain. It also helps to write information into the brain. This helps to restore brain functions such as a sense of touch. The goal is to develop a system with at least two orders of magnitude and more communication channels (electrodes) than current clinically-approved devices. The safety measurements have to be improved. It must have full wireless communication through the skin. It should be ready for the patients to take home and use it on their own. Such features are in development stage. It will take time to implement all these features.<h3 id="what-are-the-challenges-involved-in-making-a-scalable-bmi">What are the Challenges Involved in Making a Scalable BMI?</h3>The technology used in Neuralink is built on decades of BMI research, including several ongoing studies with human participants. The BMI systems used in these studies have only a few hundred electrodes with connectors that pass through the skin. Their use requires laboratory equipment and personnel. The challenge is to scale up the number of electrodes and build a safe and effective clinical system to take home and operate by themselves. Recent developments in engineering in this field and new technologies developed by Neuralink pave the way for progress.<h2 id="what-are-the-key-technical-hurdles">What are the Key Technical Hurdles?</h2>These are the key technical hurdles:ElectrodesTo optimize the compatibility of electrodes in Neuralink, they are being microfabricated out of thin film metals and polymers to match the neighboring neurons' size and as flexible as possible. But the challenge is that threads should resist corrosion from fluid in the tissue and should have sufficient surface area to allow stimulation. The new microfabrication processes and advances made in materials science will help to combat these challenges. It also includes the process of integrating corrosion-resistant adhesion layers to the threads and rough electrode materials that increase their effective surface area without increasing their size.ChipsDeveloping chips to meet real-time neural information requirements is a challenge as Neuralink needs to convert the small electrical signals recorded by each electrode into real-time neural information. As the neural signals in the brain are in microvolts, Neuralink must have high-performance signal amplifiers and digitizers. As the number of electrodes increases, the raw digital signals become too much information to upload with low power devices. To improve Neuralink, we require on-chip, real-time identification and characterization of neural spikes.Hermetic PackagingThe Neuralink has to be protected from the fluid and salts that bathe the surrounding tissue. Developing a water-proof enclosure can be challenging. It is even harder to build an enclosure from biocompatible materials, replace the skull structurally, and allow over 1,000 electrical channels to pass through it. Developing innovative techniques to build and seal each major component of the package helps to meet this challenge.NeurosurgeryThe threads used in Neuralink are too fine to be handled by hand. To safely place it inside the brain, we have to develop a new kind of surgical robot. We are innovating on robot design, imaging systems, and software to build a robot that can precisely and efficiently insert many threads through a single 8-mm skull opening while avoiding blood vessels on the surface of the brain.Neural DecodingThe neural spikes have a lot of information. This information has to be decoded to control a computer. We have designed computer algorithms to control a virtual computer mouse from the activity of hundreds of neurons. Our devices will be able to connect to more neurons to provide more precise and naturalistic control. This will help to include additional virtual devices such as a keyboard and game controller. This can be accomplished with advances in statistics and algorithm design. The challenge is to design and develop adaptive algorithms that maintain reliable and robust performance while improving over time to include addition of new capabilities.

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Artificial Intelligence

Elon Musk's Neuralink and its Functionalities

Self-driving cars are powered by autopilot technology that involves sensors, radars, and cameras along with a navigation system to navigate to the required destination.

The Pros and Cons of Self Driving Cars

Before getting to know the pros and cons of self-driving cars, let?s understand the autopilot technology that makes a car into a self-driving car.Self-driving cars are powered by autopilot technology that involves sensors, radars, cameras, onboard computer with software to control the sensors, radars, and cameras along with a navigation system to navigate to the required destination. These cars need no intervention from human drivers to operate and drive the vehicle safely.Though the autopilot technology is successful, there are no vehicles that are operating on complete autopilot mode. The autopilot cars are partially autonomous as they are still in their nascent state. At present, no cars are fully autonomous. There are different levels of autonomous autopilot cars. They are graded as follows:Level 0: Humans control all major systems in the car.Level 1: Some systems, such as acceleration or automatic brakes, are controlled by the car. Only one function is automatically controlled at a time.Level 2: In this category, the car can control two functions concurrently, like acceleration and steering. But it requires human intervention to control other functions for a safe drive.Level 3: These cars handle all critical functions, but human intervention is necessary when the vehicle raises an alert.Level 4: The car is fully automatic in most scenarios, but it still needs human intervention.Level 5: The car is fully automatic in all situations.Currently, only up to level 3 autopilot cars are available in the market. Level 4 cars will be available in the market in the coming years. It may take several years for level 5 cars to be available in the market due to the legality involved in operating them.<figure class="kg-card kg-image-card kg-width-wide"><img src="https://iaxds62ruoojbg1k4180.cleaver.rocks/images/posts/4ac582320f85a7f7fa862db331a18e2e.jpg" class="kg-image" alt loading="lazy" width="1200" height="900" srcset="https://techfastly.com/content/images/size/w600/2020/11/selfdrivingcars-1.jpg 600w, https://techfastly.com/content/images/size/w1000/2020/11/selfdrivingcars-1.jpg 1000w, https://iaxds62ruoojbg1k4180.cleaver.rocks/images/posts/4ac582320f85a7f7fa862db331a18e2e.jpg 1200w" sizes="(min-width: 1200px) 1200px"></figure><h3 id="how-do-autopilot-cars-work">How do autopilot cars work?</h3>Having understood the autopilot technology and the automation levels, let?s take a look into autopilot cars? functioning.Autopilot technology creates and maintains an internal map of their surroundings using all the sensors attached externally to the car, the radar, laser beams, high-powered cameras, and sonar. Inputs from these components are processed by the software to plot a path. This information from the software is sent to the car?s actuators that control acceleration, braking, and steering.The software helps to avoid obstacles, identify vehicles, follow traffic rules, and navigate obstacles.Self-driving cars are being tested if they can communicate with other vehicles, infrastructure, and next-generation traffic lights.<h3 id="features-of-semi-autopilot-and-full-autopilot">Features of Semi Autopilot and Full Autopilot</h3>Autopilots are of two types based on the levels mentioned in the introduction. From level 0 to level 4, the autopilots have limited automation that needs human intervention, while level 5 is fully self-driven autopilot.<h3 id="features-of-semi-autopilot">Features of Semi Autopilot</h3><ul><li>Traffic-Aware Cruise Control: This controls the speed of the car based on the traffic on the road</li><li>Autosteer: Helps in driving the car in the marked lane and uses traffic-aware cruise control</li></ul><h3 id="features-of-full-self-driving-capability">Features of Full Self-Driving Capability</h3><ul><li>Navigate on Autopilot (Beta): Guides your car from a highway?s on-ramp to off-ramp, suggests lane changes, navigates interchanges, automatically engages the turn signal, and takes the correct exit.</li><li>Auto Lane Change: Helps to move to the next lane on the highway when Autosteer is engaged.</li><li>Autopark: Assists to park your car parallelly or perpendicularly with a single touch.</li><li>Summon: Helps to move your car in and out of a tight space using the mobile app or key.</li><li>Smart Summon: Helps to navigate your car in more complex environments and parking spaces, steering around objects as required to move your car towards you.</li><li>Traffic and Stop Sign Control (Beta): Helps to detect the stop signs and traffic lights.to slow down your car and eventually to stop it automatically</li><li>Upcoming: Autosteer on city streets.</li></ul><h3 id="advantages-of-autopilot-cars">Advantages of Autopilot Cars</h3><ol><li>The autopilot cars will reduce the number of accidents as they use sensors and software that prove to be foolproof.</li><li>It will help the elderly and differently-abled people to become mobile independently.</li></ol><h3 id="disadvantages-of-autopilot-cars">Disadvantages of Autopilot Cars</h3><ol><li>Cybersecurity is still a chief concern. There are possibilities that the software used may be hacked, and the car would be taken under the hackers? control.</li><li>As more and more autopilot cars are introduced into the market, the number of drivers employed will lose their jobs.</li><li>Public transportation will be negatively impacted as more and more people will start using self-driven cars.</li><li>It will increase pollution. As it is easier to drive, the users will tend to drive more each year.</li></ol><h3 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h3>To conclude, though there are a few advantages to autopilot cars, like an increase in safety features that reduce accidents and eases driving, it has a significant threat of being hacked and taken under hackers? control apart from other disadvantages that can be negated with technology. As always, when technology grows, it creates unemployment in one sector and creates employment in another sector. In this case, if it affects the drivers and public transportation, it will create employment opportunities for others involved directly and indirectly in the manufacturing of autopilot cars. Another major constraint to be overcome is the legal clearance for 100% autopilot cars to ply on the roads as we cannot take the risk in automation, unlike any other industries. Yes, even some warplanes and drones are fully automated. They help during natural disasters, spying, and monitoring to maintain security and vigilance. But in the case of autopilot cars, we cannot take the risk of making it 100% automatic as the scenarios on roads are quite different from those in the sky.

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