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Bionic Implants Stimulate Muscle Contractions
joshv writes "Researchers at University of Southern California have developed implants about the size of a grain of rice which are injected directly into muscles to stimulate muscular contractions in stroke victims. The implants have no external connections or wires and are activated and presumedly powered by an external radio signal. "
I could put a sticker on my forehead stating Powered by Rice Bubbles.
Knock a few people off and become a genuine cereal killer.
Oh dear... the mind wonders....
*grin*
I work for a company closely affiliated with the one who developed this device (about a 7 year process). Here's two URLS to the people involved, although information there is sparse. http://www.advancedbionics.com These people also market Cochlear implants that restore hearing to totally deaf patients. http://www.aemf.org This is the non-profit R&D foundation that has actually done most of the development. If anyone really wants to know more about these devices, please contact them... Dave Marsh Systems Engineer Medical Research Group, Inc.
The article states that stroke victims are at risk of thrombosis, yet these devices are made out of glass capillaries, which is thrombogenic. Furthermore, while the current electrode-electrical therapies can be painful, I want you all to consider the size of a 12-gauge needle: 3.7mm in diameter. I would kindly prefer the electrodes, thank you sir. Furthermore, think of the hacking possibilities here: who wants to hack into the DoD and post silly messages when you can make the old lady next door get jiggy with it at your control...it'd be like having your own programmable puppet. Lastly, the critic mentioned in the article is correct: long-term studies are needed. These lil things can become lodged in joints, escape into the bloodstream, etc. They might be carcinogenic. Who knows? Its time for a randomized trial.
That said, it IS a step in the right direction. Current science is 99% focused on the chemistry of neurology...theyre forgetting the electrical aspects of it. Not until doctors looked at the heart as an electrical organ did they really do anything that can be described as "cardiology," and the brain is every bit as electrical as the heart.
Actually the IOC is considering what to do about mechanical enhancements. One American runner appeared in the last Olympics with a partially artificial nea joint. It didn't seam to have any significant effect on performance except that the natural parts they replaced were so badly damaged that the Athlete couldn't walk.
The question they are afraid to ask now is what happens when you take a perfectly healthy sprinter and use surgery to shut off the pain center in his brain then turn him loose in a middle distance event? What happens when you add micro motors and other mechanical advancements to legs? How exactly do you deal with a boxer who has a metal skeleton from the elbow down, including 10 LB steal fists ?
The possibilities are endless and the IOC needs to legislate this early. It is possible to make sensible laws before the technology is known too. I.e. You can't clone a racehorse. This was law before cloning of mammals was feasible. The regulation doesn't even use the word clone. Rather it says that "Natural mating between a male and female of the species is the only way to produce a hoarse". That's why retired Geldings are sold to the police or shot and fed to big cats at the zoo.
Perhaps, "You can't compete if you use any body parts that are not a natural human organ" ( It can be more restrictive if people do creative things with transplants. ). we could then have an event where the best compete regardless of surgery, steroids etc...
--= Isn't it surprising how badly I spell ?