This has been one of
those terribly obvious technological objectives that have been waiting for
miniaturization to reach the right threshold.
Everyone knows how to apply the tech, but one needed to wait for it to
be small enough. Effectively we are
there now and it will quickly get better.
This means two things
First, muscle groups need no longer be allowed to atrophy. The part of the body cut of from normal nerve
function can be exercised to a high state of performance which supports general
cardio vascular health for the whole body.
The weakness is restricted to the damaged part of the nerve itself.
Secondly, the cut of
damaged portion will also receive signals and will be able to participate in
any future restoration protocol. Recent
research suggests that this may no longer out of sight. Neurological restoration is one of the major
problems of medicine and one of the main cost drags on medical care. Ending the cost of long term support is a
primary financial goal for health care and it can only be done by a viable
cure.
So this is still a
mechanical patch but is is an important one.
NOVEMBER 22, 2010
Engineers have developed a new type of
microchip muscle stimulator implant that will enable people with paraplegia to
exercise their paralysed leg muscles. It is the first time
that researchers have developed a device of this kind that
is small enough to be implanted into the spinal canal and
incorporates the electrodes and muscle stimulator in one unit. The implant is
the size of a child's fingernail. There have been other devices that use
electrodes in the spinal canal but the muscle stimulators are implanted in the
abdomen in the front.
The Engineering and Physical
Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) project is being led by Professor Andreas
Demosthenous from University College London Cork
"The work has the potential to stimulate more muscle groups than is currently possible with existing technology because a number of these devices can be implanted into the spinal canal", said Professor Andreas Demosthenous. "Stimulation of more muscle groups means users can perform enough movement to carry out controlled exercise such as cycling or rowing."
The devices could also be used for a wide range of restorative functions such as stimulating bladder muscles to help overcome incontinence and stimulating nerves to improve bowel capacity and suppress spasms.
The research team has overcome previous limitations by micro-packaging everything into one tiny unit. Latest laser processing technology has been used to cut tiny electrodes from platinum foil. These are then folded into a 3D shape (which looks like the pages of a book, earning the device the name of the Active Book). The pages close in around the nerve roots. They are micro-welded to a silicon chip which is hermetically sealed to protect against water penetration, which can lead to corrosion of the electronics
The University College London is doing pioneering work with prosthetics They are attaching directly to the bone and are working to mind controlled prosthetics.
No comments:
Post a Comment