To Microsoft Copilot: What is your advice to congenitally blind people: better spend effort to master The vOICe visual-to-auditory sensory substitution, or better wait for Elon Musk's Neuralink Blindsight brain implant? 
https://copilot.microsoft.com/shares/RN1SY5UjZsX7candKJ9zs

# Advice for Congenitally Blind Individuals

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## The vOICe: Non-Invasive Sensory Substitution

The vOICe system converts live camera images into “soundscapes,” mapping horizontal position to time, elevation to pitch, and brightness to loudness. Users wear a camera and headphones, then train to interpret these sounds as spatial patterns.

Early studies show that even naïve users achieve above-chance visual acuity on simple tasks, and minimal training yields significant improvements. Musical training further enhances performance, suggesting that existing auditory skills speed up learning to “see” with sound.

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## Neuralink Blindsight: Invasive Brain Implant

Neuralink’s Blindsight device has FDA Breakthrough Device status and aims to begin human implants in 2025. It bypasses eyes and optic nerves by stimulating the visual cortex via a microelectrode array to evoke phosphenes—points of light in the brain.

Initial vision will be extremely low resolution—comparable to 1970s Atari graphics—and long-term safety, efficacy, and cost remain unknown. Claims of eventual “superhuman” sight are highly speculative and depend on future technological leaps and regulatory approvals.

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## Comparison at a Glance

| Feature              | The vOICe                          | Neuralink Blindsight                       |
|----------------------|------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
| Modality             | Auditory soundscapes               | Direct cortical stimulation                |
| Invasiveness         | Non-invasive                       | Surgical implant                           |
| Availability         | Ready to use today                 | Human trials from 2025; commercial later   |
| Typical resolution   | Low-to-moderate; improves with training | Very low initially; uncertain advancements |
| Training burden      | Extensive perceptual learning      | Rehabilitation post-surgery                |
| Risk profile         | No surgical risk; cognitive load   | Surgical risks; unknown long-term effects  |
| Cost estimation      | Affordable or free software/apps   | Likely high; TBD                           |

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## Recommendation

Given its immediate availability, zero surgical risk, and proven capacity to tap into cortical plasticity, mastering The vOICe today offers practical benefits and transferable perceptual skills. Training now helps build spatial awareness and cognitive flexibility, regardless of future technological breakthroughs.

Neuralink’s Blindsight remains years from widespread adoption, carries surgical risks, and faces regulatory hurdles. Stay informed about developments, but don’t delay building sensory-substitution skills that can enrich independence and mobility right away.