The complexities of the human visual system present a daunting challenge for those who work to restore sight to the blind. Dr. Shawn Kelly describes how the he and the Boston Retinal Implant Project team have met that challenge. The "electric eye" created by this team represents the leading edge of electrical engineering today, and it was listed on *Time Magazine's* 50 Best Inventions List of 2009. This implant gives us an indication of the very promising future of medical technology.
**Shawn Kelly** is an electrical engineer and a Senior Systems Scientist on the research faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, working on developing new medical technologies. His technical focus has been on analog and mixed signal VLSI design, power and data telemetry, magnetic link design, and hermetic packaging design. He has applied these skills to implantable medical systems, specifically neural stimulators. His current work, an extension of his masters and PhD projects with the Boston Retinal Implant Project, involves the development of a retinal prosthesis for the blind.