En route to #Cosyne2026! 🧠🧪🇵🇹 @bionicvisionlab.org is represented with 2 projects: - control of electrically evoked activity in human V1 - predictive model of mouse V1 recovers cell- and state-dependent tuning Check out our posters on Thursday! #CompNeuroSky #NeuroSkyence

ReVision Implant receives FDA breakthrough device designation for its Occular visual cortical prosthesis www.massdevice.com/revision-imp... #BionicVision #BCI #NeuroTech

🚨Fuzzing the brain - automated stress testing for ML-driven neurostimulation🚨 As #MachineLearning begins to control electrical stimulation in neural interfaces, how do we know these models are safe? Paper in Journal of Neural Engineering: bionicvisionlab.org/publications... #BCI #neuroskyence

What if your strongest #ML model is brittle at one thing that really matters? Can it learn that behavior from a weaker but specialist model, even when they share no task, no data, and no architecture? My student Galen Pogoncheff explored this in our #ICLR2026 paper: 👉 arxiv.org/abs/2505.23933

Just out in @nature.com BME: Our Review unpacks intracortical microstimulation: axons, not somas, drive activation; direct + indirect pathways shape perception; parameters interact with neuron type, layer, and network; long-term use limited by neural depression & tissue response. 🧠⚡ rdcu.be/eZbTz

🎉 Mouse vs AI #NeurIPS2025 Challenge 2025 The first year was a great success: 🤖 290 submissions 👥 22 teams 🌎 7 countries robustforaging.github.io A huge thank you to all who participated!👏 This was our first attempt at a global competition built around real mouse behavior and visual robustness

Presenting “Human in the loop optimisation for efficient intracortical microstimulation temporal patterns in visual cortex” again this afternoon at #SfN!! Come discuss! An amazing collaboration between the Biomedical Neuroengineering group at UMH and @bionicvisionlab.org

If you are into #VisionScience or #neuroengineering, come check out our first poster at #SfN2025 this afternoon! Emily Joyce is presenting new work on modeling the bipolar circuitry in the human fovea PSTR122.22 Nov 16 at 1:00 PM www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/21171...

What if retinal prostheses could speak the brain’s language? 👁️🧠🧪 Prof. Yossi Mandel and team built a hybrid implant that merges neurons and electrodes to restore high-acuity sight. New Data Drop interview ↓ www.bionic-vision.org/research-spo... #BionicVision #Neurotech #Blindness

Can Fruit Ninja train the #BionicEye? A new JoV paper finds that while participants improved with distorted “prosthetic” input, gaming-based training didn’t generalize to object recognition - hinting that rehab may need to stay task-specific. doi.org/10.1167/jov....

🚨 Breakthrough alert: A new study in the NEJM reports that the PRIMA subretinal implant helped restore meaningful central vision in ~80% of participants with advanced geographic atrophy (an untreatable form of #AMD). www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/... #BionicVision #NeuroTech

👁️🧠 New preprint: We demonstrate the first data-driven neural control framework for a visual cortical implant in a blind human! TL;DR Deep learning lets us synthesize efficient stimulation patterns that reliably evoke percepts, outperforming conventional calibration. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

As federal research funding faces steep cuts, UC scientists are pushing brain-computer interfaces forward: restoring speech after ALS, easing Parkinson’s symptoms, and improving bionic vision with AI (that’s us 👋 at @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social). 🧠 www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/thrilli...

Excited to share that I’ve been promoted to Associate Professor with tenure at UCSB! Grateful to my mentors, students, and funders who shaped this journey and to @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social for giving the Bionic Vision Lab a home! Full post: www.linkedin.com/posts/michae...

At #EMBC2025? Come check out two talks from my lab in tomorrow’s Sensory Neuroprostheses session! 🗓️ Thurs July 17 · 8-10AM · Room B3 M3-4 🧠 Efficient threshold estimation 🧑🔬 Deep human-in-the-loop optimization 🔗 embc.embs.org/2025/program/ #BionicVision #NeuroTech #IEEE #EMBS

👁️⚡ Headed to #EMBC2025? Catch two of our lab’s talks on optimizing retinal implants! 📍 Sensory Neuroprostheses 🗓️ Thurs July 17 · 8-10AM · Room B3 M3-4 🧠 Efficient threshold estimation 🧑🔬 Deep human-in-the-loop optimization 🔗 embc.embs.org/2025/program/ #BionicVision #NeuroTech #IEEE #EMBS #Retina

👁️🧠 New paper alert! We show that checkerboard-style electrode activation improves perceptual clarity in simulated prosthetic vision—outperforming other patterns in both letter and motion tasks. Less bias, more function, same safety. 🔗 doi.org/10.1088/1741... #BionicVision #NeuroTech

🎙️Our very own Lily Turkstra was featured on WYPL-FM’s Eye on Vision podcast to discuss how blind individuals use assistive tech at home, from tactile labels to digital tools. 📻 Listen: eyeonvision.blogspot.com/2025/05/assi... 📰 Read: bionicvisionlab.org/publications... #BlindTech #Accessibility

👁️🧠🧪 Next on the Horizon: Frederik Ceyssens from ReVision Implant on scaling bionic vision to the cortex with Occular, a high-res, deep-brain prosthesis. Why performance might beat invasiveness - and what comes next: www.bionic-vision.org/research-spo... #BionicVision #NeuroTech #BCI

Last but not least is Lily Turkstra, whose poster is assessing the efficacy of visual augmentations for high-stress navigation: Tue, 2:45 - 6:45pm, Pavilion: Poster #56.472 www.visionsciences.org/presentation... 👁️🧪 #XR #VirtualReality #Unity3D #VSS2025

Coming up: Jacob Granley on whether V1 maintains working memory via spiking activity. Prior evidence from fMRI and LFPs - now, rare intracortical recordings in a blind human offer a chance to test it directly. 👁️ #VSS2025 🕥 Sun 10:45pm · Talk Room 1 🧠 www.visionsciences.org/presentation...

Our @bionicvisionlab.org is at #VSS2025 with 2 talks and a poster! First up is PhD Candidate Byron A. Johnson: Fri, 4:30pm, Talk Room 1: Differential Effects of Peripheral and Central Vision Loss on Scene Perception and Eye Movement Patterns www.visionsciences.org/presentation...

Not usually one to post personal pics, but let’s take a break from doomscrolling, yeah? Some joyful moments from the Plous Award Ceremony: Honored to give the lecture, receive the framed award & celebrate with the people who made it all possible! @bionicvisionlab.org @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social

Check out his talk, "Learning to See Again: Building a Smarter Bionic Eye," on Monday, April 14th, 4pm-6pm at Mosher Alumni House.💡 For more info click here: www.campuscalendar.ucsb.edu/event/beyele...

Modern visual prosthetics can generate flashes of light but don’t restore natural vision. What might bionic vision look like? In CS asst. prof Michael Beyeler's @bionicvisionlab.org his team explores how smarter, more adaptive tech could move toward a bionic eye that's functional & usable.👁️

Virtual Human Retina: A simulation platform designed for studying human retinal degeneration and optimizing stimulation strategies for retinal implants 👁️🧠🧪 doi.org/10.1016/j.br...

“Seeing the future”: More media coverage about @mbeyeler.bsky.social winning the 2024-25 Harold J. Plous Memorial Award @ucsantabarbara.bsky.social news.ucsb.edu/2024/021709/...

Our PI @mbeyeler.bsky.social has received the 2024-’25 Harold J. Plous Memorial Award by @ucsb.bsky.social, in recognition of his “outstanding contributions in research, teaching, and service.“ New article by @ucsbengineering.bsky.social: engineering.ucsb.edu/news/outstan...

Please share: ARIA is offering £500k seed awards for neural interface projects. Apply by 13 Feb 2025. I've been impressed with ARIA's scientific team and overall execution so far. They deserve your best ideas! www.aria.org.uk/scalable-neu...

I had an idea way back in college which I've long thought could be, in many ways, the ultimate BCI technology. What if instead of using electrodes, we used biological neurons embedded in electronics to communicate with the brain? Enter biohybrid neural interfaces: science.xyz/news/biohybr...

Aligning visual prosthetic development with implantee needs: Now out in TVST! #BionicVision #NeuroTech #BCI #Blindness #Accessibility

Starting your #PhD journey? Crafting a standout Statement of Purpose is key. Here's a guide with tips & common pitfalls to help you succeed (tailored to #CompSky at #UCSB, but much of it should apply to most depts): docs.google.com/document/d/1... #AcademicSky #AcademicChatter #FirstGen #CSforALL

Applying to the PhD program in #CompSky at #UCSB? It's not too late to get expert feedback on your application materials! 🧪 New deadline: Nov 22 Anywhere on Earth cs.ucsb.edu/education/gr... #Diversity #FirstGen #STEM #WomenInSTEM #CSforALL #AcademicSky

New Bloomberg article putting recent developments in #BionicVision into perspective: www.bloomberg.com/news/article... with quotes from Max Hodak (Science), Xing Chen (Pitt), Yağmur Güçlütürk (Radboud), @mbeyeler.bsky.social (UCSB), others #NeuroTech #BCI #Neuralink #PRIMA #Phosphoenix #ReVision

The 2nd Brain & The Chip is underway in Elche, Spain! Leading #BionicVision and #BCI researchers are gathering to discuss latest developments in intracortical neural interfaces. www.bionic-vision.org/events/brain...

Folks please do your best to include "alt text" for any images you post. When blind users use bluesky, this enables them to engage with the images you post. #Accessibility #AltText

“When you say someone is disabled, there’s an assumption they’re not functional–which couldn’t be more wrong!” Our PhD student Lucas Nadolskis shares insights on #Accessibility, #Inclusion vs. #Integration, and reimagining cities for all: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDSn...

Are you looking for an #AcademicJob in low/ultra-low or bionic vision? Perhaps a #PhD or #postdoc position with prominent leaders in the field, such as Pieter Roelfsema, Jim Weiland, Gislin Dagnelie, Arathy Kartha, or Diego Ghezzi? Look no further: bionic-vision.org/jobs

Yuchen Hou presenting at EMBC '24 in Orlando, FL (@IEEEembs @IEEEorg): We introduce two models that can predict phosphene fading & persistence under varying stimulus conditions, cross-validated on behavioral data reported by 9 Argus II users. Preprint:...

#NowHiring! We are looking for a full-time research software engineer who can rapidly prototype & iterate on innovative ideas (#AugmentedReality, #ComputerVision, #Robotics) to advance the lab’s #BionicEye research. 1 year, $52-65k. Apply by May 8: https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02741

Our students Tori LeVier and Lily Turkstra had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Dr. Philip Hessburg (@DIO_EyeOnDesign), co-founder and Director Emeritus of the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology at...

Our students Lily Turkstra and Tori LeVier recently sat down with Dr. @DanielRathbun from @HenryFordHealth to talk about recent advancements, challenges, and future prospects of #BionicEye technologies. Full...

We recently sat down with Dr. Denis Kuleshov, CEO of Sensor-Tech, to talk about their #BionicEye solution ELVIS that uses #ArtificialIntelligence to extract important visual cues from the environment. Full interview...

Come by Poster M094 tonight at #MICCAI2022 to chat about retinal implants! Our work was also highlighted by the MICCAI Daily magazine: https://www.rsipvision.com/MICCAI2022-Monday/16/

New work from the lab highlighted by @TechXplore_com: "Our main idea was to utilize a sensory model, which describes the perceptions or neural responses resulting from stimulation, in-the-loop within a deep neural network", says lead author @jacob_granley...

Congratulations🎉to our graduating @UCSBpsych senior Yuchen Hou for winning 2(!) PBS awards: - PBS Exceptional Academic Performance Award - Abdullah & Marjorie R. Nasser Memorial Scholarship Fund Award which recognize her academic excellence and research aptitude. Well deserved!

Into #visionscience & looking to get some paid research experience during your pre-#PhD gap year? Come work with us & study visual perception in retinal implant users: https://recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02194#visionscience#PhD#AcademicJobs @psychologyjobs @PsychChatter @VisionScience

In related news, Lucas Relic and team took home the Best Poster Award🥇at Augmented Humans '22 (@aug_humans) for their work on a deep learning-based perceptual stimulus encoder for bionic vision: Preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.05604 Video: https://youtu.be/iaC8QJ9OXL0

New work by Justin Kasowski lets you "see through the eyes" of a #BionicEye user: Immersive virtual reality simulations of bionic vision (Augmented Humans '22 @aug_humans) Preprint: https://arxiv.org/abs/2203.05675#BionicEyeCode:...

We are excited to welcome the lab's first #postdoc: Melani Sanchez Garcia, who graduated with a PhD in Computer Science and Systems Engineering (cum laude) @unizar. She'll be working on new ways to apply #ComputerVision/#MachineLearning to the...