October 8, 2009 by sean.

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September 5, 2009 by sean.

Another step closer to the bionic brain [via ScienceDaily]:

A model that replicates the functions of the human brain is feasible in 10 years according to neuroscientist Professor Henry Markram of the Brain Mind Institute in Switzerland. “I absolutely believe it is technically and biologically possible. The only uncertainty is financial. It is an extremely expensive project and not all is yet secured.”

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September 3, 2009 by sean.

Bionic medicine continues to evolve as a potential treatment or cure for paralysis, deafness, blindness, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy and more [see full article in New Scientist].

For example, Eberhard Fetz’s lab at the University of Washington in Seattle is testing:

a new treatment that might one day cure paralysis, which is typically caused by a broken connection in the spinal cord. Though much work has focused on using stem cells to regrow damaged nerve fibres, some researchers believe that an electronic bypass like this is equally viable.

The idea is to implant electronic chips in the relevant regions of the brain to record neural activity. Then a decoder deciphers the neural chatter, often from thousands of neurons, to figure out what the brain wants the body to do. These messages must then be relayed - ideally wirelessly - to electrodes that deliver a pulse of electricity to stimulate the muscles into action. Such “brain chips” are already restoring hearing to the deaf and vision to the blind, and helping to stave off epileptic fits, so the idea isn’t as far-fetched as it might sound.

Posted in science, neuroscience, bionics | 1 Comment »

December 28, 2008 by sean.

LiveScience.com explores brain prosthetics, artificial cells, regrown bone, wearbale kidneys and even new corpora cavernosa [you’ll have to look it up] in Top 10 Technologies for the Bionic Human.

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November 19, 2008 by sean.

More on “brain training” [via techradar]:

Researchers at the Universite de Montreal found that cognitive workouts for athletes can boost their reaction speeds by up to 53 per cent.

Professor Jocelyn Faubert put a dozen football, tennis and hockey players through multiple object-tracking exercises, then measured their ability to absorb and manage lots of information simultaneously.

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November 14, 2008 by sean.

New report on medical applications of brain-computer interfaces via eurekalerts]:

Scientists have shown for the first time that neuroprosthetic brain implants may be able to help stroke patients with partial paralysis.

Researchers found that implants known as brain-computer interfaces (BCI) may be able to detect activity on one side of the brain that is linked to hand and arm movements on the same side of the body. They hope to use these signals to guide motorized assistance mechanisms that restore mobility in partially paralyzed limbs.

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November 11, 2008 by sean.

One step closer to the bionic eye [via govtech]:

Engineers at the University of Washington have developed contact lenses with integrated circuitry. The lenses have the same properties as traditional contacts and were worn by lab rabbits for 20-minute stretches without displaying ill effects. A possible use for such lenses might be personal displays. Drivers could see vehicle information or wearers could access their own private video display and surf the Web or watch movies. The circuitry is made of metal strands less than 10 nanometers wide — thinner than a hair strand. Engineers are also working on integrating LEDs into the bionic lenses to enhance the lenses’ display capabilities.

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September 11, 2008 by sean.

[Professor Wolffsohn from Aston University] believes that within five to ten years, people will be able to have their vision premanently repaired for less than £1,000 by having one of these flexible lenses implanted in their eye. [via telegraph.co.uk].

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August 17, 2008 by sean.

Rat brain cells power robot [via livescience.com]:

Scientists have created a robot controlled by a biological brain made of rat neurons.

The robot, named Gordon, is not exactly an Einstein but represents a remarkable bridging of the gap between biology and technology. Gordon relies a dish with about 60 electrodes to pick up electrical signals generated by the brain cells…

“This new research is tremendously exciting as firstly the biological brain controls its own moving robot body, and secondly it will enable us to investigate how the brain learns and memorizes its experiences,” said the university’s Kevin Warwick of the School of Systems Engineering. “This research will move our understanding forward of how brains work, and could have a profound effect on many areas of science and medicine.”

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August 9, 2008 by sean.

Wired Magazine reports on how “swimmers, cyclists and even gymnasts making the most of tech — and legal — performance enhancements” [via Wired.com]:

In order to make perfect strokes during training, the U.S. crew team members watch their progress on a VR-style goggle set that receives a live feed of their movements as they row. With this feed, they are able to see instantly if their torsos are misaligned. By evaluating themselves in real time, the rowers learn to perfect their form. Once the race starts, however, they’ll ditch the glasses.

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April 22, 2008 by sean.

Finally, the bionic eye is a reality [timesonline]:

Surgeons have carried out the first operations in Britain using a pioneering “bionic eye” that could in future help to restore blind people’s sight…

The device — the first of its kind — incorporates a video camera and transmitter mounted on a pair of glasses. This is linked to an artificial retina, which transmits moving images along the optic nerve to the brain and enables the patient to discriminate rudimentary images of motion, light and dark.

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March 30, 2008 by sean.

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March 13, 2008 by sean.

This article from MyTechNews suggest the Bionic Brain may be a nanobot brain:

A tiny chemical “brain” has been invented by Scientists at the National Institute for Materials Science in Tsukuba, Japan. With a size of two nanometers, the molecular device is capable of controlling eight of the microscopic nanobot machines simultaneously.

Posted in neuroscience, bionics, augmented cognition | 1 Comment »

October 18, 2007 by sean.

Research on artificial nerve grafting for treatment of patients with traumatic injuries of nerves in the arms and legs, organ transplants and the removal of tumors:

University of Manchester researchers have transformed fat tissue stem cells into nerve cells — and now plan to develop an artificial nerve that will bring damaged limbs and organs back to life.

In a study published in October’s Experimental Neurology, Dr Paul Kingham and his team at the UK Centre for Tissue Regeneration (UKCTR) isolated the stem cells from the fat tissue of adult animals and differentiated them into nerve cells to be used for repair and regeneration of injured nerves. They are now about to start a trial extracting stem cells from fat tissue of volunteer adult patients, in order to compare in the laboratory human and animal stem cells. [via University of Manchester]

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October 14, 2007 by sean.

Some recent developments in the area of human-computer interface promise control of software [including game avatars, soundtracks, and more] via thoughts and emotional responses rather than keyboards or joysticks.

• In Second Life Gets Brain Controls a “brain computer interface” is described that has been developed to allow a person to control their own avatar in Second Life via thought. [via Smart Mobs and Pink Tentacle]
• Emotiv Systems, an electronic-game company from San Francisco, wants people to play with the power of the mind. Starting tomorrow, video-game makers will be able to buy Emotiv’s electro-encephalograph (EEG) caps and software developer’s tool kits so that they can build games that use the electrical signals from a player’s brain to control the on-screen action… S.M.A.R.T. BrainGames, a company based in San Marcos, CA, sells games and EEG caps designed to treat people with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. [via Technology Review]

If you can’t wait for a technology-based solution for improving your brain, you can start with the low tech methods to Get Smart: How to Boost your IQ by 10 points, including:

10. Sit up straight, and close your mouth: Good posture affects our state of mind, and helps us to think more clearly. Wanna prove it to yourself? Try solving some math in your head while slouching, looking at the floor and letting your mouth hang open. Then do the mental math while sitting up straight, keeping your mouth closed and looking forward or slightly upwards. You’ll get the point.

14. Make connections: To grow longer dendrites, do something new. Try learning a new language or developing a skill such as drawing, and you’ll see instant changes in how you think.

20. Graze: To give your brain a steady supply of energy and minerals, eat little and often. Eating large meals shunts blood to your digestive tract, away from your brain.

25. Make friends: Preferably ones with large amounts of frizzy grey hair. Recent research showed that hanging out with boffins can boost your IQ by up to 10 percent.

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September 16, 2007 by sean.

USC’s Ted Berger’s [”memory hacker“] research on brain-interface neurotechnology, neural modeling and biologically-inspired computing modules [funded by the National Science Foundation and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency] focuses on the potential for being able to one day:

open someone’s skull; implant a tiny, densely packed silicon computer chip; connect it to the brain; and let it take over cognitive function previously lost due to disease or injury.

“He wants to be the man who implants microchips between your ears. And the amazing thing is that he just might succeed,” a Wired magazine feature declared five years ago. Berger’s ambition to “create a bionic brain is bold, brash, and just a bit, well, mind-blowing,” the technology magazine opined. Berger’s project has come a long way since then.

This isn’t like a cochlear implant or an artificial retina or any other device stimulating inactive nerve fibers to resume functioning. No. This will be an artificial chunk of brain, something right out of a William Gibson cyberpunk thriller…

“We are on the brink of stretching the capabilities of the human race. I believe we will soon be able to connect the brain to computers or other devices,” Berger says. “We have to think about the implications.” [via USC and futurist.com]

Berger’s work gained wider recognition as a result of a 1997 Wired Magazine article and more recently in Popular Science and Scientific American. Berger also edits Neural-Prosthetis.com.

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September 6, 2007 by sean.

Inventor Dean Kamen previews the extraordinary prosthetic arm he’s developing at the request of the Department of Defense, to help the 1,600 “kids” who’ve come back from Iraq without an arm (and the two dozen who’ve lost both arms). Kamen’s commitment to using technology to solve problems, and his respect for the human spirit, have never been more clear than in this deeply moving clip.

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