Falling Walls ‘23 Science Breakthrough: Roelfsema’s Visual Prosthesis

Pieter Roelfsema, researcher at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, has been recognized as one of the winners by Falling Walls Science Breakthrough of the year 2023. Congratulations! With his pioneering work Roelfsema and his team want to restore a rudimentary form of vision for people who became blind at a later age.

Roelfsema’s cutting-edge visual brain prosthesis, which employs electrical stimulation to create artificial perceptions, could potentially restore independence, participation, and inclusivity for those with visual impairments. Such a brain prosthesis would increase the independence of blind people by allowing them to engage in activities for which they now rely on caregivers.

Groundbreaking research has always played a crucial role in comprehending and addressing our era’s most significant problems. To honor this important work Falling Walls encourages scientists to participate in the Falling Walls Global Call and submit their outstanding projects or nominate the work of their colleagues. The names of the projects shortlisted for the main title were published on the homepage of the Falling Walls Foundation, which can be found here.

Read the complete Falling Walls interview to discover the interesting journey into Roelfsema’s reasons, inspirations, and the key moments that sparked his excitement for developing this groundbreaking technology.