Chips implanted in human eyes

Illinois scientists have implanted microchips in the eyes of three patients blinded by retinitis pigmentosa. It will be weeks before it is known how well the Artificial Silicon Retinas, smaller than the head of a pin and about half the thickness of a piece of paper with 3,500 microscopic solar cells that convert light into electrical impulses, work. In a related story, Swedish scientists have manufactured microrobots 670 microns tall and 170 to 240 microns wide that, in theory, could someday manipulate individual human cells.

To read the story on the artificial retinas, go to www.wired.com. For more information about the microrobots, click to news.bbc.co.uk.