From The Dobelle Institute:

Artificial Vision for the Blind by Connecting a Television Camera to the Visual Cortex

by Wm. H. Dobelle

Blindness is more feared by the public than any ailment except cancer and AIDS. We report the development of the first visual prosthesis providing useful "artificial vision" to a blind volunteer by connecting a digital video camera, computer, and associated electronics to the visual cortex of his brain. This device has been the objective of a development effort begun by our group in 1968 and represents realization of the prediction of an artificial vision system made by Benjamin Franklin in his report on the "kite and key" experiment, with which he discovered electricity in 1751.* American Society of Artificial Internal Organs (ASAIO) Journal 2000; 46:3-9.

NOTES:
** Here is a video clip, from CNN, of a blind man driving a car wearing the video camera attached to his brain.

** Job listing for The Dobelle Institue at CareerBuilder: ENGINEER/SOFTWARE Embedded Systems. Programming in C, on a Linux platform & debugging custom hardware incl implants to produce artifical vision for the blind (tv camera connected to the brain). Fax resume to: 631-864-1610 or mail: The Dobelle Institute, 61 Mall Drive. Commack NY 11725-5703 or E mail: [Click here for email]