Colour-blind artist implants 'eyeborg' device into skull to 'hear' colours as sounds

London: A colour-blind artist says he has successfully implanted an electronic chip into his skull that allows him to hear different shades and hues as sound vibrations.

Visionary: Neil Harbisson has been developing the device since 2004, which he calls an ‘eyeborg', to help him ‘see' colours

Neil Harbisson (31), was born with a rare condition called achromatopsia that limits his colour perception to just black and white. Since 2004 he has been developing a device which he calls an "eyeborg" to help him ‘see' colours.

The "eyeborg" consists of a camera that curls over the top of Harbisson's head like an antenna, converting colour input into specific sounds.

The eyeborg previously transmitted sounds to Harbisson by pressing an audio unit against the base of his head to reverberate sounds through his skull to his eardrums.

The implanted version should allow him to receive more nuanced signals, directly transmitting vibrations to his ear much like a cochlear implant.