The Future Of Brain Implants - 1386 Words

The Future of Brain Implants Current and future technology Over the last twenty years, scientists have been developing brain implants to help people suffering from Alzheimer s disease, dementia, stroke and/or brain injuries to restore their ability to create long-term memories. Current technology is becoming more invasive both in terms of interconnections within the physical body and our mental dependence. According to a researcher Ellen M. McGee, Long Island University, â€Å"The future development of brain implants will give us the ability to manipulate external reality, the physical world, and ourselves.† With today’s technologies, the line between living organisms and machines is getting very blurry. This issue could potentially affect†¦show more content†¦Enhanced smell will intensify our ability to distinguish scents, and an amplified sense of touch will enable us to discern environmental stimuli such us changes in barometric pressure.† In 2013, at Duke University School of Medicine, scientists implanted brain chips into rats’ barrel cortex to teach them â€Å"see† infrared light that they normally cannot see. Neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis and Eric Thomson made an experiment where they implanted four clusters of sensors into the barrel cortexes of the rats that were responsible for their senses. Those clusters converted infrared light into an electrical signal that stimulated rats to go to one of the four feeding stations. Rats would go the feeding station where the infrared light was on and press the button on the feeding station to receive the reward. â€Å"In an older, single sensor version of the experiment, it took the rats one month to adapt. With four sensors, it took them just three days† (Coghlan). What interesting was that rats’ original senses stayed the same without changes, plus they learned to use their new sense of seeing infrared light. Later, scientists want to teach ra ts see the ultraviolet light, microwaves, radio waves, and X-rays. A reporter for New Scientist Andy Coghlan stated, â€Å"It seems that natureShow MoreRelatedFuture And Future Of Implants956 Words   |  4 PagesFuture of Implants When I asked Dr. Marko about what he thinks will happen to implants in the future he stated: â€Å"I expect that it will expand.† He explained that â€Å"current DBS technologies are seeing expanding indications for more and more diseases with good results. But beyond this, there are whole new domains of brain implants coming online and in the research pipeline. These include the whole field of brain-computer interface, which allows the brain to control machines (e.g. prosthetic limbs)Read MoreA Cochlear Implant Is An Electronic Device That Substitutes1041 Words   |  5 PagesA Cochlear Implant is an electronic device that substitutes the damaged part of the inner ear to send signals to the brain. It is used by profoundly deaf or severely deaf people. The first Cochlear Implant was invented in the year of 1961 by Dr. William F. House. He was an american otologist, medical researcher, and physician, born December 1st, 1923-died December 7th, 2012. Dr. William F. House sta rted the process of developing the Cochlear Implant during the late 1950s, after obtaining knowledgeRead MoreNeural Prosthetics And Its Effects1741 Words   |  7 Pagesits future and potential uses. With only a very recent history, neural prosthetics is quickly becoming more and more relevant by the year. Neural prosthetics are already helping thousands of people, from people with deprived hearing, to people with meek vision or no sight at all. Neural prosthetics are devices implanted into the brain that can aid in returning some working function back to a person. This is a process whereby placing a small device inside of someone, typically a small implant inRead MoreThe technology of Australian time The bionic Ear1000 Words   |  4 Pages The bionic Ear Introduction Advancements in Information Technology have now made it possible to restore hearing to the profoundly deaf by inserting a prosthetic device called the Bionic Ear (also known as the Cochlear Implant) in an individual’s inner ear. The Bionic Ear technology is an example of design and innovation combined with information processing, software design and development. Since it was first invented, technology advancements proceeded on a parallel trackRead MoreCommunication Technology Research Project : How It Works, And Its Application919 Words   |  4 Pageswas possible. In any of the movies about the future we see amazing technology being put to use. I don’t know about you, but personally I always think to myself how far fetched it all seems. The new communication technology I chose really overwhelmed me at first. I couldn’t believe all the different ways it could be used for all different types of people and the lengths it could reach. The technology that I decided to write my paper on is called Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI). I will discuss whatRead MoreThe Man That Was Used Up By Edgar Allan Poe1261 Words   |  6 PagesNyctalope on Mars).[7][8][9] Edmond Hamilton presented space explorers with a mixture of organic and machine parts in his novel The Comet Doom in 1928. He later featured the talking, living brain of an old scientist, Simon Wright, floating around in a transparent case, in all the adventures of his famous hero, Captain Future. He uses the term explicitly in the 1962 short story, After a Judgment Day, to describe the mechanical analogs called Charlies, explaining that [c]yborgs, they had been calledRead MoreHearing Loss And Cognitive Deterioration1150 Words   |  5 PagesImplantation in Elderly Patients begins with an assessment of cited research that reveals â€Å"whole brain atrophy† in elderly people with sensory impairments, specifically in auditory processing. The goal of study was to analyze the outcome of cogn itive function and mental health in elderly subjects who have their hearing restored using cochlear implants. In order to qualify to become a candidate for the cochlear implant, the participants all had severe-profound sensorineural, postlingual hearing loss in oneRead MoreBrain Computer Interfaces1205 Words   |  5 PagesBrain-computer interfaces, or BCIs, are a developing technology that enable computers to interact directly with the brain for various purposes. They have various current applications, including prosthetic limbs, sight and hearing implants, diagnosis of medical conditions, and research into brain activity (Abdulkader, S 2015). In the future, more advanced forms may provide dramatic changes to communication, entertainment, exchange of knowledge and learning, and other aspects of society (Lance, B KerickRead MoreQuantum Computing: The Future of Technology Essays1322 Words   |  6 Pagesshe can tell he is doing a quick online search in his mind. Technology is const antly growing and soon this future will be a reality. Quantum computing is the first step into all technologies of the future. It involves using electric patterns in the brain to control electronics. A twenty-six-year-old quadriplegic has an implant the size of an aspirin sitting on the top of his brain that allows him to play simple video games, control a robotic arm, and even turn on and off a TV. By 2012 cyberRead MoreThe Benefits of Human Cloning1337 Words   |  6 PagesUnited States and several other industrialized countries. †¢ There has been a breakthrough with human stem cells. Embryonic stem cells can be grown to produce organs or tissues to repair or replace damaged ones. Skin for burn victims, brain cells for the brain damaged, spinal cord cells for quadriplegics and paraplegics, hearts, lungs, livers, and kidneys could be produced. By combining this technology with human cloning technology it may be possible to produce needed tissue for suffering people