Neurointerfaces

2023

In China, they began implanting chips in the brain, which return the movements of the hands and feet to the paralyzed

On January 30, 2024, Chinese researchers from Tsinghua University Beijing the in announced the development of the Neural Electronic Opportunity (NEO) neuroimplant, which helps return mobility to paralyzed people. Compared to the company's chips, the Neuralink Elona Musk new product is said to be safer and less invasive. More. here

Scientists of the Russian Federation were the first in the world to simulate the brain process for controlling neural networks

In early December 2023, scientists from the National Research Nizhny Novgorod State University named after N.I. Lobachevsky (NNSU) announced the development of a new method for controlling the burst dynamics of neural networks. For the first time in the world, Russian specialists managed to imitate one of the key information processes of the brain using memristors. The results of the work can be used in the creation of neurointerfaces of the next generation.

Memristors are the fourth passive element of the microcircuits after the resistor, capacitor and inductor. In microelectronics, this is a bipolar capable of changing its resistance depending on the electric charge flowing through it. Russian researchers say memristors can reproduce the work of biological synapses that transmit a nerve pulse between neurons. Therefore, such elements can theoretically be used in functional biological systems.

NNSU announced the development of a new method for controlling the batch dynamics of neural networks

We have shown how, with memristors that mimic time-dependent plasticity of spikes, or STDP, neural network dynamics can be controlled. STDP determines the strength of connections between neurons and allows you to simulate those processes of development of the nervous system that depend on activity, RIA Novosti quotes Sergei Stasenko, associate professor of the Department of Neurotechnologies at the Institute of Biology and Biomedicine at Lobachevsky University.

The use of memristors, the project participants note, will allow the creation of "brain-like" electronic devices with expanded functionality. Russian scientists have shown how a memristic device integrates into a biologically plausible model for regulating neural network dynamics. This solution demonstrates network regulation effects similar to processes in the biological brain. In this case, the model consists of elements that can be embodied in hardware^[1]

In Russia, they created neuroimplants that allow people with prostheses to feel touched as before

At Moscow State University, M.V. Lomonosov created neuroimplants that allow people with prostheses to feel touched as before. The university spoke about this development at the end of November 2023. Read more here.

A woman paralyzed after a stroke was able to speak thanks to chips implanted in the brain and an AI device

On August 23, 2023, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco and the University of California, Berkeley, reported on the development of a new technology that allowed a paralyzed woman to "talk" again. Read more here.

An implant has been created that reads brain signals through the ear with 95% accuracy

In mid-July 2023, Chinese researchers at Tsinghua University announced the development of a device called SpiralE that allows brain signals to be recorded through the ear canal. At the same time, the accuracy, according to the creators, reaches 95%. Read more here.

Chinese scientists are the first in the world to connect a computer to a monkey's brain

On May 5, 2023, a group of Chinese researchers from Nankai University in Tianjin announced the world's first successful experiment to connect a neurocomputer interface to the brain of a nonhuman monkey. As a result, the animal was able to control the robotic arm with the "power of thought."

The work was conducted under the guidance of Professor Duan Feng. The initiative was also attended by specialists from the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army of China and the medical company Shanghai Xinwei Medical Technology Co. The project participants say the results of their work mark significant progress in brain science and could pave the way for innovative technologies to help people with physical disabilities interact with the outside world.

Monkey was able to control robotic arm with 'thought power'

During the experiment, scientists used a minimally invasive method. They conducted specialized sensors through the walls of the monkey's brain vessels, which made it possible to do without cranial trepanation. These sensors reach the motor cortex and record brain activity, and the collected metrics are then converted into commands to control the robotic manipulator.

The technology used, according to the researchers, causes much less harm to the body than an invasive approach based on implantation of brain-computer interface elements. Compared to the completely non-invasive method, the solution of Chinese specialists provides a more stable signal, which is critical for organizing high-quality and effective interaction with external devices through the "power of thought." In general, according to the participants in the work, their experiment takes the interventional brain-computer interface to a fundamentally new level - from laboratory research to clinical use.^[2]

A microrobot has been created that can connect to the neural networks of the brain. It will help in cell therapy

At the end of March 2023, South Korean scientists from the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) announced the development of a microrobot capable of connecting directly to the neural networks of the hippocampus, part of the limbic system of the brain. Read more here.

2022: A neuroimplant with 10,000 neurochannels is presented to restore vision and mobility

In mid-November 2022, brain-computer interfaces manufacturer Blackrock Neurotech has its next-generation Neuralace neurointerface. According to the developers, a flexible electrode with an ultra-high number of channels provides an opportunity to look into innovative technology that will become the basis for future developments. Read more here.

2021: Government develops program to implant chips in human brain

On June 22, 2021, it became known about the federal program "Brain, Health, Intelligence, Innovation," developed by the Government of the Russian Federation, which, among other things, assumes the possibility of implanting chips into the human brain for direct data transfer from external devices (exoskeletons, computers, etc.). Read more here.

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