A team of chemical engineers and biochemists has managed to change how plants work. Well, to be exact, they’ve made plants work better by embedding carbon nanotubes into the plants’ leaves so that they absorb more light. Put simply, they’ve created bionic plants.
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Bionic human parts have always remained in the realm of science fiction for many years, but this has already changed in this particular century. A bunch of EU researchers have been working hard to deliver sense to senseless prostheses, which would be the next step up in the right direction. In fact, this very same group of researchers have spent an entire month in testing out this unique prostheses on a subject in order to give his sense of touch back. How is this made possible? Well, a series of electrodes have been implanted into the two main nerve bundles in test subject Dennis Sørensen’s left upper arm, and it was left there for a month. After that, Sørensen has been fitted with a special sensor-laden prosthetic hand, and specially developed algorithms will feed off that data to know how it will stimulate those nerves.
Man Gets Robotic Hand That Allows Him To Feel original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Like a silent bionic army, the era of the cyborg has crept upon us. Or so a group of reviewers said recently when they evaluated where the science of cyborgs has led.
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The dream of the cyborg is coming true at an exhilarating rate. As humans gets better and better at making machines, we keep attaching those machines to our bodies to make ourselves better humans. It seems at times that the only question left is if we can put a human brain in a robotic frame. Actually, it’s not a matter of if. It’s a matter of when.
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Say you’ve just had ACL surgery. Or you’re recovering from a bad break. Or, worse, you suffer a stroke, or MS, or spinal or neurological damage. Regaining the power to walk is one of the toughest things you can do, and it may be impossible without a crutch, rail, or physical therapist to lean on. The AlterG Bionic Leg—straight out of the sci-fi future—may be the answer you’ve been dreaming of. I should know. I tried it.
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Amputees may one day regain actual feeling thanks to Darpa and researchers at Case Western University who have created what we thought was once only possible in science fiction. As a part of DARPA’s Reliable Neural-Interface Technology (RE-NET) program, CWRU’s flat interface nerve electrode (FINE) system has demonstrated that it can provide enough sensation to each individual finger to give amputees the ability to feel their way around, just like Luke Skywalker.
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Scientists working together from Japanese and American universities may have made a pretty large leap in restoring neural function for those with non-paralyzing spinal cord injuries. The researchers applied a “novel artificial neuron connection” over lesions in the spinal cord of a partially paralyzed monkey, partially restoring its arm / brain circuit and allowing greater hand control purely by brainpower. The team also created a reverse circuit where muscle activity from the arm stimulated the spinal cord, reinforcing the signals and “boosting ongoing activity in the muscle.” There’s no word on whether it would help those with full paralysis, though for lesser “paretic” damage, “this might even have a better chance of becoming a real prosthetic treatment rather than the sort of robotic devices that have been developed recently,” according to the team. See the source and More Coverage links for more.
Filed under: Science
Those in the US suffering from blindness due to retinis pigmentosa (RP) will now be able to regain some vision bionically for the first time ever, thanks to Second Sight’s Argus II retinal prosthesis. The device was just approved by the FDA for sale stateside after surmounting the same hurdle in Europe almost two years ago — though it was first launched long, long before that. RP is a rare genetic disease that inflicts 100,000 or so Americans, destroying photoreceptors in the eye while leaving other cells intact. By implanting a device on the cornea that receives a signal from the eyeglass-mounted camera, those cells can be stimulated as if receiving light, causing them to transmit an image to the brain. Due to the limited number of electrodes, patients would only be able to discern light or dark, but most have reported better functionality with the device — being able to make out the shape of a curb while walking, or discerning between light, grey or dark colored socks, for instance. The Argus II has been certified by the FDA for “humanitarian use,” meaning there’s “reasonable assurance” that it’s safe, and should start popping up in specialized clinics by the end of the year.
[Photo credit: Associated Press]
Filed under: Wearables, Science
Via: CNET
A brain-computer interface is a nice thing to dream about, but it’s not exactly around the corner. We are always getting closer, however. Newly developed carbon microthreads could serve as the long-lasting kind of brain implants you’d need to be able to mind-control computers. More »
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