University of Bremen Invests in Neuroprosthetic Technology

While significant advances in the field of neuroprosthetics have been made in recent years, the ability of such devices to interface directly with the brain has been limited. And understandably so, since the devices, being in direct contact with the brain, present many challenges. Not only must they be minimally invasive and biocompatible, they also must be able to precisely decode and communicate biologic synaptic signals. Another challenge researchers face is the dynamic nature of the brain itself. Most brain-machine interfaces that have been developed so far are static machines—unable to adapt and learn as the brain does.

As neuroprosthetic technology advances, it has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of countless people, who lack the ability to see, walk, grasp physical objects or hear (cochlear implants, which are now the most common neuroprosthetic device, have already been implanted in nearly 200,000 people worlwide). To drive the technology forward, the University of Bremen (Universität Bremen) has established an interdisciplinary research group to investigate the subject. In the space of three years, €470,000 have been set aside for this research. It’s hard to imagine a more interdisciplinary research group: Experts in the following fields will contribute to the research: theoretical electrical engineering and micro electrical engineering, radio-frequency technology, microsystem tehnology, automation technology, psychology and cognitive research, neurophysics and neurobiology.

More information (in German) is available from the Universität Bremen.

Similar research is being performed at the University of Pittsburgh, where scientists taught a monkey implanted with two neuroprosthetics to control a robotic manipulator with 7° of freedom.

We’ve covered a fair amount of related research on medtechinsider, as well:
European Researchers Advance Thought-Controlled Prosthesis Technology
Wireless Neural Interface Operates from Harvested RF Energy
Electrically Conductive Polymers Could Lead to Improved Brain Implants
Next Generation Implants, Prosthetics and Devices
Bionic Health: Next Generation Implants, Prosthetics and Devices
New Surgical Procedure Permits Intuitive Control Over Robotic Limb
Segway Inventor Advances Prosthetics Technology

Tags: brain research, neural prosthetic devices, Universität Bremen