The Phoenix99 Bionic Eye is an implantable system designed to restore a form of vision in persons who are blind. The device’s two main components which need to be implanted consist of a stimulator attached to the eye and a communication module positioned under the skin behind the ear. Sheep trials showed that the body accepted both these elements and furthermore healed around them. The team is now applying for ethics approval to perform clinical trials in human patients. Phoenix99 Bionic Eye Trials.
Study on Bionic Vision Technology Paves the Way Towards Human Trials
January 18, 2022
New Synthetic AI Data May Improve Brain-Computer Interfaces
November 30, 2021
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are used in brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) to help improve how the system interprets brain activity. A new study published in Nature Biomedical Engineering by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) apply deepfake AI technology in order to improve the performance of brain-computer interfaces to help those with speech impairment or mobility issues. AI Data for Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI).
Blackrock Neurotech's MoveAgain System Gains FDA Breakthrough Designation
November 30, 2021
Blackrock Neurotech announced FDA breakthrough device designation for its MoveAgain brain-computer interface system. The MoveAgain system is portable and would allow persons with physical disabilities to gain mobility and independence. Read more via MassDevice.com.
Involving Children in Designing Neurotechnology
November 17, 2021
In designing neurotechnology for children with disabilities, one size never fits all. MED-EL's Ideas4Ears invites children to submit their inventions to improve the quality of life for persons with hearing loss. Children between six and twelve years old are encouraged to submit their inventions with the help of a family member. Read more about MED-EL's Ideas4Ears here.
Join NeuroAbilities as we examine how to design brain-computer interfaces by and with children with severe physical disabilities at our upcoming webinar, "BCI At Play: How Brain-Computer Interfaces can Enrich Lives of Children with Severe Physical Disability" on December 2, 2021 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada). Read more here.
Scientists Create Brain Implant that Enables Identification of Letters
November 10, 2021
A group of researchers in Spain collaborated with scientists at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience in Amsterdam and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, US, to use a microelectrode array to help a blind person perceive letters and shapes. The implant, which is about the size of a penny, bypasses the optic nerve and instead provides stimulation to the brain’s visual cortex. By the end of the study, the participant could identify several letters. Although the device is in the early stages of clinical development, the first experiment in a human participant was successful. The results now appear in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. Read more via Medical News Today.
M-Enabling Walk2Walk Challenge
November 8, 2021
Join the Global Walk2Walk Challenge! Launched at the 2021 M-Enabling Summit, the Walk2Walk Challenge is an international set of events building a community of individuals helping those with paralysis walk using innovative walking technologies. Sandy Hanebrink, an exoskeleton user and NeuroAbilities Advisory Council member, demonstrated how access to cutting-edge exoskeleton technology creates impact in the daily lives of persons with disabilities as she stood up from her wheelchair in front of audiences at the in-person M-Enabling Summit. Individuals can register as an individual or as a team to log steps and miles. Registration deadline: 31 Dec 2021. Learn more about the Walk2Walk campaign.
Recognition of Neurotechnology as Important Area for Human Rights Integration
October 20, 2021
The Inter-American Juridical Committee of the Organization of American States issued a declaration asserting that neurotechnology and neuroscience are important areas of focus for human rights. As NeuroAbilities is a program of G3ict to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in the digital age, the OAS declaration outlines calls to government, the private sector, academia, and the scientific community to engage in practices that include consideration of human rights within the context of neurotechnologies. Read the official document here.
Groundbreaking Auditory Nerve Implant Underway to Restore Hearing Loss
September 30, 2021
A new device in development for auditory nerve implants, or ANI, aims to help those experiencing deafness or hearing loss to hear again. The ANI technology is funded by the National Institutes of Health and is a collaborative effort between the University of Minnesota, Blackrock Neurotech, MED-EL, Hannover Medical School (MHH), Feinstein, and the University of Utah. The device would be surgically implanted into the auditory nerve for a large population of individuals who may not be eligible for a cochlear implant and for this reason are underserved. Read more here.
MIT Establishes New Research Center Focused on Disability Tech Research
September 28, 2021
The K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has been established to explicitly study the fusion of the human body with advanced technology like robotic exoskeletons and brain-computer interfaces with the ambitious goal of developing systems to restore function for people with physical and neurological disabilities. Read more via Futurism.
University Researchers Develop Bionic Arm to Enable Greater Physical Control
September 27, 2021
Researchers have engineered a bionic arm for upper-limb amputations that allows wearers to think, behave and function like a person without an amputation, according to new findings. The bionic system combines three important functions - intuitive motor control, touch and grip kinesthesia, the intuitive feeling of opening and closing the hand. The Cleveland Clinic-led international research team developed the bionic system. Collaborators included University of Alberta and University of New Brunswick. Read more via Science Daily.