In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists at Fudan University in Shanghai, China, announced in June 2025 the development of a retinal implant using tellurium nanowires. This innovative technology has shown promising results in restoring vision in blind mice and enabling macaque monkeys to perceive infrared light.
Tellurium, a semiconductor with a silvery-white appearance, is known for its photoelectrical properties, allowing it to convert light, including infrared radiation, into electrical signals. The researchers created tellurium nanowires, each 150 nanometers thick, which is a thousand times thinner than a human hair. These wires were arranged into a mesh-like structure and implanted into the retinas of blind animals.
The study revealed that blind mice with the tellurium nanowire implant performed almost as well as sighted mice in pattern recognition tasks. Moreover, they could detect and respond to infrared light, which typical mice cannot. The implants showed no adverse effects in macaques, and in sighted monkeys, they enhanced infrared vision. This research offers hope for people with blindness, potentially restoring sight and even extending it to include the perception of infrared light. Scientists envision this as a step towards bionic eyes with infrared "super-vision."