NEUROSCIENCE DEVICES ENABLING ALL OF THE SENSES!
10/23/12: Who would think that micro devices being developed today would enable:
• A visually impaired person to see
• A paralyzed person to feed herself
• A deaf toddler to hear his mother’s voice for the first time
These devices are here and now and are all possible due to the neurological implants and micro manufacturing combined.
As you can imagine, micro devices that are implanted into the eye, ear, or brain requires extreme accuracy and repeatability and strict validation protocols. These devices are tiny, micro manipulated and controlled by external means through the electrodes implanted less than 1 millimeter into the cortex of the brain.
These devices are enabling the treatment of paralysis, Parkinson’s, Epilepsy, blindness, deafness, and memory loss. In every one of these cases, micro devices are required in polymer, metal, silicone, and a combination of those dust specked sized components with extremely challenging stack up tolerances to properly fit and function in varying temperature, moisture, chemical, and extremely clean environments.
The young generation may get flack for overuse of technology such as smartphones, however these same MEMS and Micro manufacturing technologies used to develop smartphones are also helping to pave the way for neuroscience discoveries and devices of the future.
Photo Credit Jorge Cham-Caltech
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