Australian govt to invest 50 mln in bionic eye research

CANBERRA, April 22 (Xinhua) -- Australian federal government said on Wednesday to invest 50 million Australian dollars (35 million U.S. dollars) towards the development of a bionic eye.

"The government is committed to supporting research where Australia is on the leading edge of innovation as a crucial investment in our nation's future. One such area is research into the bionic eye, which is a critical advancement for millions of vision impaired Australians and promises the development of technologies to translate into other areas of need," federal Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said in a statement.

The government has announced the funding as part of its response to the 2020 Summit in Canberra a year ago.

Bionic eye is a form of neural prosthesis intended to partially restore lost vision or amplify existing vision.