The Government Circuit: News on Defense Electronics, Europe, and Sustainability
American Made Advocacy: Taking the Fight to Capitol Hill
Defense Speak Interpreted: SWaPing Nanosatellites for Defense Systems
Bridging the Bio-Electronic Divide
January 21, 2016 | DARPAEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
A new DARPA program aims to develop an implantable neural interface able to provide unprecedented signal resolution and data-transfer bandwidth between the human brain and the digital world. The interface would serve as a translator, converting between the electrochemical language used by neurons in the brain and the ones and zeros that constitute the language of information technology. The goal is to achieve this communications link in a biocompatible device no larger than one cubic centimeter in size, roughly the volume of two nickels stacked back to back.
The program, Neural Engineering System Design (NESD), stands to dramatically enhance research capabilities in neurotechnology and provide a foundation for new therapies.
“Today’s best brain-computer interface systems are like two supercomputers trying to talk to each other using an old 300-baud modem,” said Phillip Alvelda, the NESD program manager. “Imagine what will become possible when we upgrade our tools to really open the channel between the human brain and modern electronics.”
Among the program’s potential applications are devices that could compensate for deficits in sight or hearing by feeding digital auditory or visual information into the brain at a resolution and experiential quality far higher than is possible with current technology.
Neural interfaces currently approved for human use squeeze a tremendous amount of information through just 100 channels, with each channel aggregating signals from tens of thousands of neurons at a time. The result is noisy and imprecise. In contrast, the NESD program aims to develop systems that can communicate clearly and individually with any of up to one million neurons in a given region of the brain.
Page 1 of 2
Share on:
Suggested Items
OSI Systems Receives $11M Order for Electronic Assemblies
11/21/2024 | BUSINESS WIREOSI Systems, Inc announced that its Optoelectronics and Manufacturing division has received an order for approximately $11 million to provide critical electronic sub-assemblies for a leading-edge healthcare original equipment manufacturer (OEM), known for innovative and specialized medical solutions.
Indie Semiconductor Extends Automotive Photonics Leadership with Advanced Optical Component Integration Capabilities
11/20/2024 | indie Semiconductorindie Semiconductor, an automotive solutions innovator, has extended its photonics offering with the addition of in-house photonics integration, packaging and system test capabilities.
Yamaha Robotics Brings Inspection Innovations for Growing Markets to electronica 2024
11/19/2024 | Yamaha Robotics SMT SectionYamaha Robotics SMT section presented innovations in high-speed surface-mount inspection at electronica 2024, demonstrating the latest AI skills and special features for applications including LED lighting, e-mobility, and mechatronics.
RTX's Raytheon Awarded U.S. Army Contract for Wireless Power Beaming Technology
11/18/2024 | Raytheon TechnologiesRaytheon, an RTX, has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Army to work on directed energy wireless power beaming capabilities that will distribute power across the battlefield, simplify logistics, and safeguard locations for U.S. troops.
Biden-Harris Administration: Akash Systems to Support Emerging Semiconductor Technology
11/14/2024 | U.S. Department of CommerceThe Biden-Harris Administration announced that the Department of Commerce and Akash Systems have signed a non-binding preliminary memorandum of terms (PMT) to provide up to $18.2 million in proposed direct funding under the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act. This investment will enable the company to leverage its intellectual property and experience of developing semiconductor technologies that serve important end markets, such as communications and the defense industrial base, while also creating over 400 direct manufacturing and construction jobs.