Abrain implantdeveloped at the University of Michigan (USA)uses the skin of the body as a conductorto broadcast,without cables, the neural signals from the brain to a control computer. The device could be used to reactivate paralyzed limbs.
The implant has been baptized with the name ofBio shopAnd, unlike other neural interface technologies that establish a connection from the brain to an external artifact such as a computer, it requires minimal invasion and consumes little power, said lead researcher Euisik Yoon, a professor in the School of Engineering, in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan.
Bio shopimplants in the skull under the skin and the layer of microcircuits is supported by the brain. The microcircuits operate like microphones that “listen” for the general firing pattern of neurons and associate them with a specific command from the brain. Those signals are amplified and filtered, converted into digital signals, and transmitted through the skin to an external computer.
With the devices available until now, the brain must remain open while the neural implants are in the head, which in practice prevents daily use in a patient. BioBolt does not penetrate the cerebral cortex and is completely covered by the skin, whichgreatly reduces the risk of infection. The researchers believe the artifact is a very important step toward the ultimate goal of brain-computer interfaces: allowing a paralyzed person to “think” a movement.
“The goal is to achieve the reactivation of paralyzed limbs” by picking up neural signals from the cerebral cortex and transmitting them directly to the muscles, said Wise, who is also founding director of the NSF Engineering Research Center for Wireless Integrated Microsystems (WIMS ERC). However, the researchers warn that the development of this technology will take years. Another promising application of the BioBolt is the control of epilepsy and the diagnosis of certain pathologies such as Parkinson’s disease.
