London, Ta. Thursday 24 September 2020
The idea of connecting the brain to a computer is usually presented in science fiction but now it will be realized by an international team of engineers and neuroscientists from three of the world's leading universities. The team is working to make this technology a reality by developing new treatments for neurological injuries using 3D printing technology.
A prototype of a neural implant has been developed by a joint team of biologists and engineers from the University of Sheffield in the UK, the University of St. Pittsburgh in Russia and the Technical University of Dresden in Germany. According to a study published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering, this neural implant prototype will be used to develop treatments for neurological problems.
According to a team of researchers led by Professor Ivan Minev of the University of Sheffield and Professor Pavel Mushienko of the University of St. Pittsburgh, these neural implants are used to activate the spinal cord in animals with spinal cord injuries in animal models. It can now also be used to develop new treatments for human patients with paralysis.
Samples of this technology also fit on the surface of the brain, spinal cord and other nerves and muscles. Thus there are possibilities to use it for other brain problems as well.
Efforts to connect the human brain to a computer through a neural interface are underway worldwide, but progress in this area has not been rapid due to the high cost and time taken to build a prototype. It will now be possible to develop a new treatment for neurological injuries with this neural implant, which is a combination of biology and technology. This new treatment is based entirely on implants that can detect tiny electrical pulses and deliver them to the brain through the nervous system.
The researchers showed how it is possible to quickly build a prototype implant at low cost using 3D printing. It is also possible to adapt the implant to the part of the nervous system that has been injured.
Using the new technique the neuroscientist will send them to the design engineers they want which the team of engineers will turn into a computer model that will instruct the printer. The printer will then shape the design with biocompatible and soft materials. The implant can be repaired quickly if needed. This will give neuroscientists the opportunity to experiment with the potential treatment of their idea quickly and cheaply.
It is new tech and still ongoing investigation. Rather people can still take the wheelchair as vital equipment for moving one place to another. You can equip with different accessories to increase user comfort.
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