Blind British Solider Licks His Way to Sight

What does Craig Lundberg do when he wants to "see" what's around him? Why, he gives a little lick, of course.

No, this injured British soldier is not part lizard, he's the very first person to test out the revolutionary BrainPort device, an amazing invention that converts visual images into a series of electrical pulses sent to the tongue.

To use the BrainPort, Lundberg dons a pair of sunglasses with a little camera attached to the bridge of the nose. He then uses a lollypop-looking wand to read the different strength of the tingles the camera captures, and then paints a mental picture of his surroundings.

"It feels like licking a nine volt battery or like popping candy," Lance Corporal Lundberg told The Independent. "It's only a prototype, but the potential to change my life is massive. It's got a lot of potential to advance things for blind people."

Lundberg lost his sight in 2007 after being struck by a rocket propelled grenade while serving in Basra, Iraq. Britain's Ministry of Defence chose him to be the first person to test out the BrainPort, and he traveled to the US for initial trials.

"It's just so exciting to finally be able to say to people: here is a tool that may help you and start to restore hope to the visually impaired community. It's just wonderful," US General Gale Pollack, who worked on the development of device, told the Independent.

So far, Lundberg says he likes what he "sees."

"One of the things it has enabled me to do is pick up objects straight away," he said. "I can reach out and pick them up when before I would be fumbling around to feel for them." Cool!

But still, Lundberg says he doesn't plan to solely rely on the BrainPort just yet.

"There is no way I'm getting rid of my guide dog Hugo, though — I love him."

Photo by nr49 via stock.xchang.