Ultrathin Silk-Based Brain Implants

hatboyzero writes "University of Pennsylvania engineers have designed silk-based electronics that can stick to the surface of the brain, allowing for better brain-computer interfaces. The researchers say the silk-based devices are thin and flexible enough to reach previously inaccessible areas of the brain."

Comments

I'm sure it'll be brought up..

[allaunjsilverfox2]

Kinda like the interface from avatar. And just about every other Science Fiction story I've read.

Re:What can we access from the brain surface?

[Hurricane78]

Luckily it doesn’t matter much. It’s not about what we can access. (There is a much better interface to that, called speech! ;)
It’s about plain interfacing. With feedback. And in that matter, the brain can without any trouble reconfigure itself (=training/learning) to do whatever you want.
It’s what you do all day long anyway.

Remember those experiments where they stuck a couple of wires in a monkey’s head, and he “magically” learned to use them to control a robotic arm... in addition to his other limbs!
That’s what I mean.

If you know how a (really any) dynamic neural net works, it’s obvious. (But it gets harder with old age. Though I think there are drugs that can partially undo it. But you don’t want to mess with those, since it’s the same thing as forgetting old habits... and you may find yourself forgetting someone or how to do something important.)

I have no doubt, that you can train yourself to send any patterns of signals over those wires. And sense anything that’s coming in As long as they are below your brain’s maximum resolution (in time and space) and in the proper voltage/current range.

Breaking And Entering

[mindbrane]

Nature went to a lot of trouble to isolate our brains. In terms of the skull, the Pia Mater and the blood-barrier. I don't know if I'm ready to go sticking stuff in there, especially in light of evolution's work to keep stuff out, and, our still insufficient knowledge of the brain.

Re:Breaking And Entering

[Lotana]

I don't know if I'm ready to go sticking stuff in there, especially in light of evolution's work to keep stuff out, and, our still insufficient knowledge of the brain.

No one is talking about starting to implanting things right now. These are the first steps. Of course researchers will be careful to make sure it is safe (Or at least worth the risk) before starting human trials.

And this is a very important area of study. Imagine someone that is paralysed or missing a limb. If we can build artificial limbs and able to interface it directly without causing infections or rejections, this will substantially improve their quality of life!

This is actually very exciting news. We should definitely pursue this as much as we can.

Inaccessible areas

[wombatmobile]

thin and flexible enough to reach previously inaccessible areas of the brain.

The back of your mind?

The tip of your tongue?

The part that eats in moderation, stops drinking early, wins the girl and wears the condom?

Silk is a biological substance , rejection risk?

[Viol8]

Current implants all use biologically inert man made substances. With silk being a biological substance isn't there a high chance of rejection from the immune system? Not something you really want to happen inside your skull.

Re:Oblig XKCD

[bytesex]

Maybe. I just don't see how your body is going to put the 5 Volt on it, though. Or, more importantly, how your body is going to cope with the Amperage if some device down the line short-circuits it.