(Left) Implant behind eye. (Right) Retinal scan showing the sensor chip in place. (via University of Oxford)

Diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, the first symptom was night blindness. A few years later, vision was drastically reduced. Finally, another disease brought complete blindness in the left eye and the inability to distinguish light on the right. Chris James, a fifty-four year old council worker in Wiltshire U.K., had his life completely changed by his complications. He said, "It’s something you have to come to terms with and make the best of what you’ve got."

Chris James's new eye was switched on for the first time. The digital circuits flood with electricity. James could see light against a black background for the first time in decades. The retinal implants were a success. "As soon as I had this flash in my eye, this confirmed that my optic nerves are functioning properly which is a really promising sign. It was like someone taking a photo with a flashbulb, a pulsating light, I recognized it instantly."

Chris James was one of the first patients (along with Robin Millar, a 60 year old music producer) suffering from retinitis pigmentosa to receive retinal implanted circuitry to detect light and images from a collaboration between the University of Oxford (UO) and the company "Retina Implants" form Germany. A team led by ophthalmology professor Robert MacLaren were able to help the patients regain some semblance of vision. As the patients continue to use the implants, their vision continues to improve. Currently, the patients can see light differences and basic shapes.

X-ray image of the complete system installed into Chris James. (via University of Oxford)

The implant is a 3mm square chip containing 1,500 light sensitive diodes. The chip is attached to the back of the eye where a signal can be sent between electrodes and the patient's optical nerves. The system is powered by an implanted power supply buried behind the ear, similar to some cochlear devices. Professor MacLaren explained that the sensor will "stimulate the overlying nerves to create a pixellated image." He continued, "Apart from a hearing aid like device behind the ear, you would not know a patient had one implanted.  We are all delighted with these initial results. The vision is different to normal , and it requires a different type of brain processing. We hope, however, that the electronic chips will provide independence for many people who are blind from retinitis pigmentosa."

The U.K based trials will continue with 12 patients overall thanks to funding from the National Institute of Health Research and the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.

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(Left) Concept of the system (Right) Drawing of the MEMS generator (Via Purdue University)

A new medical pressure sensitive implant, microelectromechanical system (MEMS), is out that uses sound as a power source. This MEMS device is a sensor that monitors the pressure of the urinary ladder and in the sack of blood vessel damages by an aneurism. Purdue University researches invented the MEMS to one day treat people with aneurism or incontinence due to paralysis patients.

The MEMS device uses a vibrating cantilever that is connected to the bottom of the heart by a thin. The cantilever vibrates when music is within the range of frequencies of 200-500 hertz. When the cantilever vibrates it generates electricity, and that charge is stored in a small onboard supercapacitor. When the frequency falls out of the useful range, the cantilever stops vibrating and will automatically send the electrical charge to the sensor. At the same time, the system will take the pressure readings and transmits the data wirelessly.

MEMS generator (via Purdue University)

The cantilever beam is a ceramic based lead zirconate titante material, a piezoelectric (PZT)element. The sensor is about two centimeters long. Researcher even tested the device in a water-filled balloon to see if still worked, and the test was a success. To get this device powered you can use batteries or an external transmitter.

The four genres tested with the MEMS were rap, blues, jazz, and rock. Among the four genres of music tested, rap rise above all when being the most effective. "Rap is the best because it contains a lot of low frequency sound, notably the bass," Purdue professor Babak Ziaie said. In rap, the vulgar words and the deep bass are put together for the listener to understand the true power of the message, which does not give the rap genre the best reputation. Soon, doctors using the device will understand the true power of Tupac songs.

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Imagine being told you or your loved one will never be able to walk again, the devastation, the shock …

Well, there may be hope after-all.  In a lab at Duke University doctors, engineers, neuroscientists and physiologists from Brazil, Switzerland, Germany and the United States are all actively working on what many might call a miracle, a “prosthetic exoskeleton” that would allow those immobilized by injury or illness to walk again.  Their goal is to demonstrate that they could bypass the body’s complex network of nerve endings and supply the sensation of touch right to the brains of monkeys.

Dr Nicolelis, a Brazilian-born physician and neuroscientist, is bringing together brain science and engineering or sensory feedback and brain control devices to be combined in real time and in a useful way.  Kip Ludwig, who has funded some of Nicolelis’ work, states, “Before, they’ve always been separate.”  He also states that, ideally, the long-term goal would be a prosthetic that would send all the sensory information – touch, position and temperature- to a body part that would add meaning to it."

Nicolelis’ team has “recruited” two female monkeys, from southern Asia, to demonstrate the feasibility of their ideas. The team is sending electrical signals to the monkey’s brain to distinguish between three identical circles with different textures.  These sensations will come from coded electrical currents sent to each monkey’s sensory cortex, or outer layer of the brain, by four filaments the width of hair.

Nicolelis explained the brain the motor drive purpose, “The team is starting with simple experiments for Mango and Nectarine, (the monkeys) so that when the experiments move to humans he or she will not only learn quickly how to initiate and repeat movements using thought alone, but the prosthetic should interface so seamlessly with the intelligent human brain that the patient will begin to see the prosthetic as a natural extension of him or herself.... It would be just like a car…only a little tighter.”

Now, when is this determined and industrious goal expected to happen you ask?  This wonderful team that Nicolelis has put together, hopes to send a young quadriplegic striding out to midfield to open the 2014 World Cup soccer tournament in Brazil, suited up in an “prosthetic exoskeleton."

How is that for ambitious?

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Pictures and video via Duke University

The Department of Chemistry at Pennsylvania State University may have just built the future power plant for inner-human body robotics. At just 3.6 micrometers long, a rod consisting of copper (Cu) and Platinum (Pt) acts as both a battery and a motor. Researchers Dr. Ran Liu and Professor Ayusman Sen both believe this nanomotor-battery could be a different way to control drug administration.

The Cu-Pt rod, when placed in a solution of bromine or iodine (an oxidant), the Cu portion acts as an anode (with oxidizing) and the Pt part functions as a cathode. As the battery discharges, electrophoresis begins forcing the rod to move. In other words, the battery is short-circuited and the current produced is then changed to mechanical force.

The nanomotor effect continues until the Cu portion is completely oxidized. Adjusting the length of Cu changes how long or fast the rod moves. In the experiments, the movement lasted 40 seconds to 1 minute. Shorter lengths of Cu makes the motor move faster, but for a shorter time. The opposite is true for longer segments. By polishing one side of the Co end, the rod will act like a rotor. Making an asymmetrical end causes the rod to rotate up to speeds of 170 rpm (in bromine). 

The team's next step is to see if the battery/nanomotor can be recharged or reused. This is definitely smaller than the current alternative.

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