According to the "New Scientist" website of the United Kingdom on October 18 (Beijing time), American scientists have developed a sensor capable of receiving optical signals such as nerve impulses, which can further improve the connection between the human nervous system and the prosthetic limbs and enable the passage through the brain nerves. The dream of directly controlling prostheses has taken a big step toward reality. In the future, through this sensor, the brain can directly control the movement of the prosthetic limb, and the implanted person can also feel the pressure and heat through the prosthetic limb.
At present, the neural interfaces in prostheses are all electronic, and metal parts may be rejected by the body. Mark Kristensen and colleagues at the Southern Methodist University in the United States are developing optical sensors that can capture nerve signals. The materials they use - fiber optics and polymers - are not only less likely to induce physical immune reactions than metals, but they are also less likely to be corroded.
The sensor is built on a polymer shell that is coupled together by a bundle of fibers that send a beam of light through the interior of the shell. The way the light “travels†within these shells is called the “whispering gallery model,†which was inspired by the whispering walls of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, England. In St. Paul's Cathedral, sound can continue to spread through the continuous reflection of the concave walls, and therefore spread farther.
The design concept of the sensor is that the electric field connected with the nerve pulse will affect the shape of the polymer spherical shell, and the resonance of the light inside the spherical shell will also change. Therefore, the nervous system will become part of the photonic circuit. In theory, the resonant changes in light can send commands to the bionic hand, such as telling the bionic hand, and the brain wants to move a finger. By placing a reflector on the top of the fiber to guide a beam of infrared radiation and stimulate the nervous system, the nerve signals it sends can also be taken in other directions.
The researchers said that this sensor is still in the prototype development stage, and the size is too large to temporarily install in the human body, but as the size continues to shrink, this sensor will be able to play a role in the body. The research project received US$5.6 million in funding from the US Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The researchers plan to test the engineering samples on cats or dogs within 2 years. Prior to this, researchers needed to reduce the size of this sensor from a few hundred microns to 50 microns.
Before the sensor engineering sample is used, the researcher also needs to draw the neural connection specifically. For example, the patient is required to try to lift his incomplete arm in order to connect the relevant nerves to the prosthesis.
Christensen said that one day, these sensors and optical fibers can be like "jumpers", forming a neural circuit from the brain to the legs, bypassing damaged body tissue, and ultimately allowing spinal cord injured patients to regain their athletic ability. And consciousness.
However, some experts believe that although the materials used in such sensors are all highly biocompatible, whether they can completely avoid the rejection reaction of the human body remains doubtful.
At present, the neural interfaces in prostheses are all electronic, and metal parts may be rejected by the body. Mark Kristensen and colleagues at the Southern Methodist University in the United States are developing optical sensors that can capture nerve signals. The materials they use - fiber optics and polymers - are not only less likely to induce physical immune reactions than metals, but they are also less likely to be corroded.
The sensor is built on a polymer shell that is coupled together by a bundle of fibers that send a beam of light through the interior of the shell. The way the light “travels†within these shells is called the “whispering gallery model,†which was inspired by the whispering walls of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, England. In St. Paul's Cathedral, sound can continue to spread through the continuous reflection of the concave walls, and therefore spread farther.
The design concept of the sensor is that the electric field connected with the nerve pulse will affect the shape of the polymer spherical shell, and the resonance of the light inside the spherical shell will also change. Therefore, the nervous system will become part of the photonic circuit. In theory, the resonant changes in light can send commands to the bionic hand, such as telling the bionic hand, and the brain wants to move a finger. By placing a reflector on the top of the fiber to guide a beam of infrared radiation and stimulate the nervous system, the nerve signals it sends can also be taken in other directions.
The researchers said that this sensor is still in the prototype development stage, and the size is too large to temporarily install in the human body, but as the size continues to shrink, this sensor will be able to play a role in the body. The research project received US$5.6 million in funding from the US Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The researchers plan to test the engineering samples on cats or dogs within 2 years. Prior to this, researchers needed to reduce the size of this sensor from a few hundred microns to 50 microns.
Before the sensor engineering sample is used, the researcher also needs to draw the neural connection specifically. For example, the patient is required to try to lift his incomplete arm in order to connect the relevant nerves to the prosthesis.
Christensen said that one day, these sensors and optical fibers can be like "jumpers", forming a neural circuit from the brain to the legs, bypassing damaged body tissue, and ultimately allowing spinal cord injured patients to regain their athletic ability. And consciousness.
However, some experts believe that although the materials used in such sensors are all highly biocompatible, whether they can completely avoid the rejection reaction of the human body remains doubtful.
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