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Nanobatteries Power Artificial Eyes

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the looking-into-the-future dept.

Roland Piquepaille writes "A new U.S. research center, the National Center for Design of Biomimetic Nanoconductors, has been opened to promote new ideas in the field of nanomedicine. For example, a team of researchers at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) is developing a nano-size battery to be implanted in the eye to power artificial retina. But this center will also design and build 'nanomedical devices based on natural and synthetic ion transporters -- proteins that control ion motion across the membranes of every living cell.'"

7 of 139 comments (clear)

  1. What if the battery leaks? by CyricZ · · Score: 2, Insightful

    What sort of damage, and of what severity, could occur if this battery were to leak?

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    Cyric Zndovzny at your service.
  2. Probably Not by thepotoo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Only the rich will be able to afford this tech for the next 10-20 years.
    After that, maybe the middle class will be able to afford it. In any event, it's not something the lower class would get.

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    Obligatory Soundbite Catchphrase
    1. Re:Probably Not by TheGavster · · Score: 1, Insightful

      translation: Some countries have governments that mandate an equal, low level of care to everyone regardless of economic status, prohibiting the rich from funding profound yet expensive advances that would otherwise one day trickle down to the general populace.

      The running water and sanitary toilet provided in government-provided apartments were once luxuries enjoyed only by kings; but if the kings had not paid for the first plumbed house, we'd still be walking to the well and crapping in a hole. Get off your ass, get a job, and one day you'll be able to buy your very own nano-eyes, much like you can now buy toilets and cars and televisions.

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      "Because Science" is one step from "Because old book". Try "Because of my experiment testing my falsifiable assertion".
  3. Acceptance or Rejection by the Body by reporter · · Score: 4, Insightful
    These advances in artifical retina and the batteries to power them are amazing, but scientists rarely talk about how the human body would react to these foreign objects. Will the body accept these objects or attempt to fight them by forming clots or by summoning a white-cell army to attack them?

    In the case of breast enhancements, the body forms scar tissue around the silicone implants.

    In the case of artifical hearts, the patients faces the serious risk of blood clotting. The blood clots can flow into the brain and cause a stroke.

    Advances in science are great, but we've "just gotta know its limitations".

    1. Re:Acceptance or Rejection by the Body by Mostly+a+lurker · · Score: 2, Insightful
      scientists rarely talk about how the human body would react to these foreign objects

      The edited highlights version that appears in the popular press omits such considerations. That does not mean that scientists ignore them. It is a very important aspect of the research itself. In fact, a key research topic is how to prevent such reactions. Scientists are beginning to have a very clear picture of how the immune system operates and are already developing techniques, short of depressing the immune system, to prevent rejection.

  4. Why use batteries, just draw it from the heart... by Zantetsuken · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The human heart creates a small amount of electricity when it beats, correct? (this is how the brain sends signals to the muscles and suchforth, yes?)

    So, instead of making a super-small battery that still has to hold a huge charge, why not draw the excess electricity that would have been used for the eye (its excess because the eye is no longer there, which would be why you are getting an artificial one) and use that instead of a battery, or at the very least, send it to a small capacitator so it can charge enough to power your new techno-eye.

    This does not solve the problem that the artificial eye would have to be SUPER power efficient, but the problem would be doubly so with a battery of limited life, however, when you use the heart as the power-source, the "battery life" is effectively unlimited for the lifetime of the device (your life, so if you die, it wouldnt need to stay powered, would it? unless you want a look inside a casket the hard way...)

  5. New Steam Powered Eyes! by nick_davison · · Score: 4, Insightful

    OK, so my first thought, upon reading this...

    The human body has been doing remarkably well at powering itself, without batteries, for millenia (with the one exception on Monday mornings).

    Why do we need "nano" batteries? If we're down to the point of building things at an atomic level, shouldn't we be at the point where we a) build things with the same (or at least similar) efficiency as the body had in the first place and b) thus use the same power supply the part we're replacing used?

    Whilst it's really cool we're building nano-batteries, it sounds more like a lab cashing in on the exciting buzz technology of the moment to solve a problem rather than looking at the problem that actually needs solving and finding the right solution for it.

    It makes me wonder, did people 150 years ago try getting seed captial for equally ridiculous concepts involving the new buzz tech of steam? Actually, thinking about it, I know they did - and we laugh at the craziness of the inventors who anounced they were going to invent steam powered underpants or whatever back then. Makes me wonder how much the people of 150 years in the future will smack their heads and laugh at the ridiculous concepts for exploiting nano-tech we're coming up with now, when far more obvious solutions were staring us in the face.