Since 1995, the institutes NMI and IMS CHIPS have been working with the University Eye Hospital Tübingen and other partners on the development of a visual implant. The patented research results are implemented in products and approved by the 2003 founded company Retina Implant AG.

The NMI has conducted groundbreaking research on safe electrical stimulation in the retina. Another contribution was the development of microelectrodes and biostable materials for the insulation and encapsulation of the ultra-thin microimplants. The IMS developed the heart of the implant, an image sensor chip, based on a patented process and manufactured it in a small series. The technologies developed in the retina implant project also benefit implants for improving hearing and epilepsy diagnostics, as well as swallowable video pills for medical diagnosis.