Devices that allow computers to interface with the human brain are already here &ndash; close to 200,000 people have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/cochlear-implants" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">cochlear implants</a> in the U.S. alone. And a wide range of additional brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies are in development. As these technologies become more common, so do questions related to ethics and policy &ndash; with agencies from the Federal Trade Commission to the FDA already facing regulatory decisions about BCI devices.A new book,&nbsp;<a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-26801-4" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Policy, Identity, and Neurotechnology: The Neuroethics of Brain-Computer Interfaces</a>, explores these issues and more. The book was co-edited by&nbsp;<a href="https://chass.ncsu.edu/people/vdublje/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">Veljko Dubljević</a>, an associate professor at NC&nbsp;State who leads the NeuroComputational Ethics Research Group; and by Allen Coin, a former graduate student at NC&nbsp;State.To learn more about what BCI devices are on the horizon, and the questions those technologies raise, we spoke with Coin and Dubljević.The Abstract: Before we talk about the book itself, I have a threshold question: What exactly are BCIs? How common are they? Can you give me some examples?Allen Coin: In short, BCIs are a class of technology that can read and translate brain activity into a format digestible by a computer. BCI devices use brain activity as input to provide some sort of output, or to pass information back to the user as feedback &ndash; sometimes directly to the user&rsquo;s brain. These devices have a lot of applications in medicine and are increasingly being adapted for widespread commercial use.For instance, there are BCI devices in clinical trials that can warn a user when they are about to have a seizure. And you may know somebody with one type of BCI device that has been around for a long time: the cochlear implant. This technology is rapidly advancing, with a lot of investment from commercial ventures that aim to popularize this technology for everyday use &ndash;&nbsp;perhaps BCIs will become as common as smartphones. Some private ventures have lofty goals for BCI commercialization, including Synchron &ndash; which recently received FDA approval for human trials &ndash; and Neuralink, a company that has a knack for making headlines and which has a stated goal for achieving&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theverge.com/2019/7/16/20697123/elon-musk-neuralink-brain-reading-thread-robot" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">human-AI symbiosis</a>, among other very sci-fi applications.Not every commercial application of BCI will require embedding a computer chip in your brain, however &ndash; some private ventures seek to use non-invasive BCI technology, like a modified electroencephalogram (EEG) which can read brain activity via sensors you can wear like a hat. One such venture, Neurable, is working on a product that aims to put BCI sensors into a pair of headphones that can help the user optimize their own productivity. For example, it might let users know when to take breaks.TA: The book is subtitled &ldquo;The Neuroethics of Brain-Computer Interfaces.&rdquo; What sort of ethical questions do BCIs raise?Veljko Dubljević: In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/5/4/31" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">our prior work</a>, we mapped the landscape of ethical challenges arising from the introduction of BCI technologies. We characterized these challenges according to recurring themes of ethical concerns that were noted by ethicists: physical factors (relating to user safety and harm to humans or experimental animals), psychological factors (relating to autonomy and changes in humanity or personhood) and &ndash; the most diverse &ndash; social factors (relating to issues such as stigmatization of users; privacy; informed consent; responsibility; and fairness). There are also novel ethical issues which arise when BCIs are combined with computer-to-brain interfaces to allow direct communication between two or more brains, thus comprising brain-to-brain interfaces. Such new technological forms of communication may lead to information overload and radical psychological distress, at least for some people. Thus, serious consideration needs to be given to the vulnerability of individuals and groups and how they may benefit (or be harmed) by these technologies.TA: What about policy challenges? Are there regulatory requirements in place governing BCI technologies? Should there be? And who would, or should, be doing the regulating?Dubljević: There are many policy challenges. For instance, the BCI technology is falling under inconsistent levels of oversight. On the permissive end of the scale, you have things like cases of wearable BCIs, where more or less the Federal Trade Commission has jurisdiction and will interfere only if producers start using too much hyperbole in their promotional materials. At the more stringent end of the scale you have cases of implantable BCIs, where the Food and Drug Administration needs to be satisfied that the BCIs are safe and effective. Another challenge is that current guidelines for research ethics usually don&rsquo;t apply to &ldquo;market research&rdquo; and yet this is exactly the area with the most exciting developments. Finally, there are unknowns about downstream effects of widespread implementation of BCI technology, which could be pertinent for regulation.TA: Does your book focus solely on what we already know about ethics, policy and BCIs? Or are you also laying out recommendations for the path forward? If there are recommendations, what are they?Coin: Our book doesn&rsquo;t just cover what&rsquo;s already known about BCI policy and ethics. The book also considers potential, realistic near-future applications of the technology, what ethical considerations those applications could have, and resulting policy implications. For instance, one developing area of research in BCI, which may seem like science fiction, is the use of BCI to enable direct brain-to-brain interfacing.One of the key recommendations discussed at length in the book is the need for ethicists and policymakers to keep abreast of the rapid advancements in this technology that are taking place in the research, engineering, and commercialization spaces. Given that the stated goals of some private investment in the technology are to develop sci-fi applications like mind uploading or brain-AI symbiosis &ndash; regardless of how feasible such applications may be &ndash; this suggests a potential future path for this technology that could be rife with unique new challenges to our social norms and legal system. While we try to present a picture in this book of BCI that is cautiously optimistic, rather than alarmist, there is nevertheless a theme that it is important to keep in front of the rapid advancements in this technology from an ethics and policy perspective.TA: Why write this book now?Dubljević: The field of BCI technology is now migrating from being almost entirely limited to academic research labs into a mainstream social phenomenon. With significant increases in computational power and sophistication of machine learning, BCIs are increasingly promising (or threatening) to become a fixture of the new &ldquo;human condition.&rdquo;Coin: Building on that, another important reason for this book &ndash; and for scholarship into the ethical, legal and social implications of BCI in general &ndash; is something I alluded to in the previous question: it is possible that the commercialization and popularization of BCI technology could make BCIs as commonplace and ubiquitous in the future as the smartphone is today, and it&rsquo;s important to consider the potential societal effects of such a scenario. I&rsquo;d pose a question of my own here: If a technology company were to ask you if you&rsquo;d like to have a computer chip implanted in your brain, what would be your response? And why? This book could help us, as a society, prepare to answer that question.

Devices that allow computers to interface with the human brain are already here – close to 200,000 people have cochlear implants in the U.S. alone. And a wide range of additional brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies are in development.

The Future Is Now: Wrestling with Ethics, Policy and Brain-Computer Interfaces

As a result of the development of various machines and robots, we have become able to effortlessly handle jobs that humans could not perform with muscle strength and motor skills. Moreover, owing to advances in sensors, AI, and other information processing technologies, we have also become able to use perceptual abilities that exceed the five human senses. In order for humans to freely use the extended abilities realized through such machinery, other technologies that create a closer relationship between machinery and humans are required.&nbsp;<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5Mjc1MDU1MDkxLW11cmF0YV9ibWk3LTAxLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Figure 1: Detecting brain activity to freely manipulate a machine&nbsp;<h2 id="isPasted">Scanning brain activity to create the ultimate HMI</h2>When a human is operating a machine, the Human&ndash;Machine Interface (HMI) becomes the point of contact between both sides. Devices such as the steering wheel and pedals of an automobile, the keyboard and mouse of a PC, and the touch panel of a smartphone are able to operate a machine as an HMI. Recently, voice recognition technologies have progressed to the point where it has become possible to operate a machine such as an AI speaker using natural language as an HMI. Moreover, if you utilize the Virtual Reality (VR) technologies applied in games, etc., you can experience events within the virtual world created by the computer with a sense of immersion and feeling that you are actually there. The relationship between human and machine is steadily becoming closer due to the progress of technology.However, with existing HMIs, a considerable degree of skill is required to communicate motions and operations you are thinking about to the machine. Freely operating a car as if it were part of your body like a racer or bus driver requires training that takes a lot of time. Moreover, when operating a machine through a tool such as a steering wheel, a slight delay inevitably occurs in the operation. To realize the kind of operation that feels as if human and machine have merged, technologies that further reduce the distance between both are needed.So how much will the distance between human and machine be reduced in the future? The development of a technology to unconsciously move machinery like the limbs of your own body, which can be described as the ultimate form of HMI, is being advanced. That technology (Figure 1) is called &quot;BMI&quot; (Brain&ndash;Machine Interface). BMI has already reached the stage of practical implementation in some applications. This article introduces the trends in BMI evolution and the impact of this technology.<h2>Visualizing what someone is thinking through advances in sensing and information processing</h2>The development of sensing technologies to detect brain activity and information processing technologies to interpret (decode) the status of brain activity is becoming increasingly active. Thus, we are becoming able to realize an advanced BMI.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5Mjc1MDg0Mjc4LW11cmF0YV9ibWk3LTAyZW4ucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Figure 2: Realization of BMI through the progress of sensing and information processing technologies&nbsp;Until now, investigating brain activity required the use of large-scale medical equipment to measure brainwave changes and distribution within the head. Brainwaves are minute electrical signals that record from the top of the head, etc. the electrical potential occurring in the neuronal projections that make up the brain. To accurately measure brainwaves, you need to use 12 or more EEG recording devices to precisely measure electrical potential fluctuations of several microvolts.Sensing technologies that accurately read brainwaves in a non-invasive manner without implementing any surgical interventions such as embedding electrodes in the head have advanced rapidly in recent years. Because brainwaves are observed as small voltage fluctuations called &quot;microvolts,&quot; it was difficult to accurately measure them due to the impact of electrical noise generated by the muscles and electromagnetic waves in the surrounding environment. Owing to the development of technologies that remove noise, it has become possible to take highly precise brainwave measurements with miniature sensors.In addition to the method of reading minute electric potential fluctuations, sensor miniaturization and increasing precision is advancing in methods that measure the magnetic fields generated due to brain activity and technologies that shine near-infrared light on the head to detect the states of light scattering and reflection to estimate changes in the volume of blood flow within the brain. Moreover, the use of a technology called fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) equipment*1 to identify active areas of the brain with pinpoint high precision and measure the state of brain activity with greater detail is also advancing. By making effective use of these technologies according to different purposes, we have become able to know the state of brain activity from many angles.*1 fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) is a technology that measures the electromagnetic waves generated by the deoxygenated hemoglobin within the blood flowing in the brain to detect the activity of any location in the brain.Moreover, technologies that interpret (decode) the biometric information that reflects brainwaves and other brain activity have also advanced, and we have become able to visualize cognitive information such as what a person is looking at or listening to. The technologies have developed to the point where today if you collect accurate brain activity information and effectively analyze it, you can even reproduce a fuzzy image on a monitor of the content of a dream that someone is having during sleep or images that a person is seeing with their eyes from brain activity information. Moreover, it is also possible to determine emotions and other mental states or the comprehension of studied material.In recent years, it has become clear how the activity of brain cells and the various parts of the human brain relate to each other while operating by accurately modeling brain function based on deep-learning theory, which has become utilized in various fields as a core technology of artificial intelligence (AI), and the analysis precision has rapidly increased.<h2>Wide range of BMI application fields, from entertainment to welfare and education</h2>Because it has become comparatively easy to measure brain activity, attempts are being made to apply the information obtained through measurement to various applications.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjc5Mjc1MTEyNzI5LW11cmF0YV9ibWk3LTAzLmpwZyIsImVkaXRzIjp7InJlc2l6ZSI6eyJ3aWR0aCI6OTUwLCJmaXQiOiJjb3ZlciJ9fX0=" style="width: 766px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Applying BMI to extend human capabilities&nbsp;For example, headphones that utilize brainwave sensors and are equipped with functions that can determine the degree to which a person is concentrating and in a relaxed state have been practically implemented. Games and other applications in which the character movement and story development change according to a person&#39;s mental state can be realized. When it comes to entertainment content, it is meaningless if the viewer or player becomes bored. However, no matter how interesting the content is, some people may find it boring. If you can provide content that triggers emotions by various means according to the mental state of each individual, then it will become something that will satisfy everyone.In addition, there are also initiatives to utilize BMIs to support the lifestyles of those with disabilities through machines. Equipment that can distinguish between several hundred different types of messages from brainwaves have already been practically implemented, and it is hoped that it can be utilized as a means of communication for those with severe motor impairments that make speech and writing difficult. The arrival of an era in which prosthetic hands and legs can be manipulated like real limbs through the utilization of BMIs may not be far off.Moreover, there are also initiatives underway to detect a person&#39;s brain response to received stimulation and apply that to impactful education and training to increase learning effectiveness. Systems that improve English listening capabilities in a short period of time by analyzing how English conversation audio is being heard and understood within the student&#39;s head and providing feedback are being developed.BMI is an essential technology for minimizing the distance between human and machine as much as possible to merge both together. As the technology develops, it will become possible to freely manipulate massive and micro machines, machines placed in remote or dangerous locations, as well as computers with advanced computing power as if they were your own limbs. BMI will likely become a technology that extends human potential and supports the future.<hr id="isPasted"><img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjg1MDg2NjcyNTM4LTE2ODUwODY2NzI1MzgucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" class="fr-fic fr-dii">If you have any questions based on this article that you would like to discuss with an expert at Murata, don&#39;t hesitate to reach out. There&#39;s an entire team ready to support you with your question.<a class="button-main-action" href="https://www.murata.com/en-eu/contactform?&Detail=Wevolver%20request" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">GET IN TOUCH</a><hr>

As a result of the development of various machines and robots, we have become able to effortlessly handle jobs that humans could not perform with muscle strength and motor skills. Moreover, owing to advances in sensors, AI, and other information processing technologies, we have also become able to use perceptual abilities that exceed the five human senses.

Using BMI to operate machinery like your own limbs without any manipulation

In this episode, we talk about NeuralTree: a neural interface capable of detecting neural impulses associated with brain disorders and countering them.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/af523f9f-6e33-407d-8aec-98ea14b8fd45?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe><hr><h3 id="isPasted">EPISODE NOTES</h3>(0:46) - <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/a-neuro-chip-to-manage-brain-disorders" target="_blank">A Neuro-chip To Manage Brain Disorders</a><hr>As always, you can find these and other interesting &amp; impactful engineering articles on Wevolver.com.To learn more about this show, please visit our <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" target="_blank">shows page</a>. By following the page, you will get automatic updates by email when a new show is published. Be sure to give us a follow and review on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/the-next-byte/id1548255861?l=en" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apple</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/6lPPsRtegnivsRUEsQ09R7?si=IPMiah7xT_apJtPjqvXMlA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and most of your favorite podcast platforms!

In this episode, we talk about NeuralTree: a neural interface capable of detecting neural impulses associated with brain disorders and countering them.

Podcast: The Future of Neurology: Neural Interfaces Countering Neural Diseases

This article was discussed in our <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte&source=gmail&ust=1672821999265000&usg=AOvVaw3lLKdHdEN0YvCEsaHI7hx9" href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/the.next.byte" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Next Byte podcast</a>.&nbsp;<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/af523f9f-6e33-407d-8aec-98ea14b8fd45?dark=false" class="fr-draggable" data-lf-form-tracking-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-yt-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true" data-lf-vimeo-playback-inspected-kn9eq4roawkarlvp="true"></iframe> The full article will continue below.<hr>Mahsa Shoaran of the <a href="https://www.epfl.ch/labs/inl/" target="_blank">Integrated Neurotechnologies Laboratory</a> in the School of Engineering collaborated with St&eacute;phanie Lacour in the <a href="https://www.epfl.ch/labs/lsbi/" target="_blank">Laboratory for Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces</a> to develop NeuralTree: a closed-loop neuromodulation system-on-chip that can detect and alleviate disease symptoms. Thanks to a 256-channel high-resolution sensing array and an energy-efficient machine learning processor, the system can extract and classify a broad set of biomarkers from real patient data and animal models of disease in-vivo, leading to a high degree of accuracy in symptom prediction.&ldquo;NeuralTree benefits from the accuracy of a neural network and the hardware efficiency of a decision tree algorithm,&rdquo; Shoaran says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the first time we&rsquo;ve been able to integrate such a complex, yet energy-efficient neural interface for binary classification tasks, such as seizure or tremor detection, as well as multi-class tasks such as finger movement classification for neuroprosthetic applications.&rdquo;Their results were presented at the 2022 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference and&nbsp;<a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9905664" rel="noopener" target="_blank">published</a> in the IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits, the flagship journal of the integrated circuits community.<h2>Efficiency, scalability, and versatility</h2>NeuralTree functions by extracting neural biomarkers &ndash; patterns of electrical signals known to be associated with certain neurological disorders &ndash; from brain waves. It then classifies the signals and indicates whether they herald an impending epileptic seizure or Parkinsonian tremor, for example. If a symptom is detected, a neurostimulator &ndash; also located on the chip &ndash; is activated, sending an electrical pulse to block it.Shoaran explains that NeuralTree&rsquo;s unique design gives the system an unprecedented degree of efficiency and versatility compared to the state-of-the-art. The chip boasts 256 input channels, compared to 32 for previous machine-learning-embedded devices, allowing more high-resolution data to be processed on the implant. The chip&rsquo;s area-efficient design means that it is also extremely small (3.48mm2), giving it great potential for scalability to more channels. The integration of an &lsquo;energy-aware&rsquo; learning algorithm &ndash; which penalizes features that consume a lot of power &ndash; also makes NeuralTree highly energy efficient.In addition to these advantages, the system can detect a broader range of symptoms than other devices, which until now have focused primarily on epileptic seizure detection. The chip&rsquo;s machine learning algorithm was trained on datasets from both epilepsy and Parkinson&rsquo;s disease patients, and accurately classified pre-recorded neural signals from both categories.&ldquo;To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of Parkinsonian tremor detection with an on-chip classifier,&rdquo; Shoaran says.<h2>Self-updating algorithms</h2>Shoaran is passionate about making neural interfaces more intelligent to enable more effective disease control, and she is already looking ahead to further innovations.&ldquo;Eventually, we can use neural interfaces for many different disorders, and we need algorithmic ideas and advances in chip design to make this happen. This work is very interdisciplinary, and so it also requires collaborating with labs like the Laboratory for Soft Bioelectronic Interfaces, which can develop state-of-the-art neural electrodes, or labs with access to high-quality patient data.&rdquo;As a next step, she is interested in enabling on-chip algorithmic updates to keep up with the evolution of neural signals.&ldquo;Neural signals change, and so over time the performance of a neural interface will decline. We are always trying to make algorithms more accurate and reliable, and one way to do that would be to enable on-chip updates, or algorithms that can update themselves.&rdquo;<hr>ReferencesU. Shin, C. Ding, B. Zhu, Y. Vyza, A. Trouillet, E. C. M. Revol, S. P. Lacour, M. Shoaran, &quot;NeuralTree: A 256-Channel 0.227-&mu;J/Class Versatile Neural Activity Classification and Closed-Loop Neuromodulation SoC,&quot; in IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits (JSSC), vol. 57, no. 11, pp. 3243-3257, Nov. 2022, doi:&nbsp;<a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9905664" rel="noopener" target="_blank">10.1109/JSSC.2022.3204508</a>.U. Shin, L. Somappa, C. Ding, B. Zhu, Y. Vyza, A. Trouillet, S. P. Lacour, M. Shoaran, &ldquo;A 256- Channel 0.227&mu;J/class Versatile Brain Activity Classification and Closed-Loop Neuromodulation SoC with 0.004mm2-1.51&mu;W/channel Fast-Settling Highly Multiplexed Mixed-Signal Front-End&quot; in IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC), 2022, doi:&nbsp;<a href="http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9731776" rel="noopener" target="_blank">10.1109/ISSCC42614.2022.9731776</a>.

EPFL researchers have combined low-power chip design, machine learning algorithms, and soft implantable electrodes to produce a neural interface that can identify and suppress symptoms of various neurological disorders.

A neuro-chip to manage brain disorders

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are a hot topic these days, with companies like<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/all-the-actually-important-stuff-neuralink-just-announced/" id="isPasted" target="_blank">&nbsp;Neuralink</a> racing to create devices that connect humans&rsquo; brains to machines via&nbsp;tiny implanted electrodes. The potential benefits of BCIs range from improved monitoring of brain activity in patients with neurological problems to restoring vision in blind people to allowing humans to control machines using only our minds. But a major hurdle for the development of these devices is the electrodes themselves &ndash; they must conduct electricity, so nearly all of them are made of metal. Metals are not the most brain-friendly materials, as they are hard, rigid, and don&rsquo;t replicate the physical environment in which brain cells typically grow. &nbsp;<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1673446429630-ao2sj-7tmae.jpg" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">The scaffold consists of a soft hydrogel (gray) that contains carbon nanotubes (blue) and graphene flakes (red) as conductive materials to transmit electrical impulses throughout the scaffold. (Wyss Institute at Harvard University)&nbsp;That problem now has a solution in a new type of electrically conductive hydrogel scaffold developed at the <a href="https://seas.harvard.edu/" target="_blank">Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences</a> (SEAS), the Wyss Institute at Harvard University, and MIT. Not only does the scaffold mimic the soft, porous conditions of brain tissue, it supports the growth and differentiation of human neural progenitor cells (NPCs) into multiple different brain cell types for up to 12 weeks. The achievement is reported in<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adhm.202202221" target="_blank">&nbsp;Advanced Healthcare Materials</a>.&ldquo;This conductive, hydrogel-based scaffold has great potential. Not only can it be used to study the formation of human neural networks in vitro,&nbsp;it could also enable the creation of implantable biohybrid BCIs that more seamlessly integrate with a patient&rsquo;s brain tissue, improving their performance and decreasing risk of injury,&rdquo; said first author<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-tringides-81391581/" target="_blank">&nbsp;Christina Tringides</a>, Ph.D. &lsquo;22, a former graduate student at the Wyss who is now a Postdoctoral Fellow at ETH Z&uuml;rich.<h2>Out of one, many</h2>Tringides and her team created their first<a href="https://wyss.harvard.edu/news/electrodes-that-flow-to-fit-the-body/" target="_blank">&nbsp;hydrogel-based electrode</a> in 2021, driven by the desire to make softer electrodes that could &ldquo;flow&rdquo; to hug the brain&rsquo;s natural curves, nooks, and crannies. While the team demonstrated that their electrode was highly compatible with brain tissue, they knew that the most compatible substance for living cells is other cells. They decided to try to integrate living brain cells into the electrode itself, which could potentially allow an implanted electrode to transmit electrical impulses to a patient&rsquo;s brain via&nbsp;more natural cell-cell contact.To make their conductive hydrogel a more comfortable place for cells to live, they added a freeze-drying step to the manufacturing process. The ice crystals that formed during the freeze-drying forced the hydrogel material to concentrate in the spaces around the crystals. When the ice crystals evaporated, they left behind pores surrounded by the conductive hydrogel, forming a porous scaffold. This structure ensured that cells would have ample surface area on which to grow, and that the electrically conductive components would form a continuous pathway through the hydrogel, delivering impulses to all the cells.The researchers varied the recipes of their hydrogels to create scaffolds that were either viscoelastic (like Jell-O) or elastic (like a rubber band) and soft or stiff. They then cultured human neural progenitor cells (NPCs) on these scaffolds to see which combination of physical properties best supported neural cell growth and development.<img src="https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/wevolver-project-images/froala%2F1673446465002-azkj9-c5014.jpg" style="width: 300px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">When grown on a viscoelastic hydrogel scaffold, human neural progenitor cells differentiate into multiple cell types that are found in the human brain, including oligodendrocytes (green) that produce myelin (white). (Wyss Institute at Harvard University)&nbsp;NPGs grown on gels that were viscoelastic and softer formed networks of lattice-like structures on the scaffold and differentiated into multiple cell types with specific features after five weeks. Cells that were cultured on elastic gels, in contrast, had formed clumps that were largely composed of undifferentiated NPCs. The team also varied the amount of conductive materials within the hydrogel material to see how that affected neural growth and development. The more conductive a scaffold was, the more the cells formed branching networks (as they do&nbsp;in vivo) rather than clumps.The researchers then analyzed the different cell types that had developed within their hydrogel scaffolds. They found that astrocytes, which support neurons both physically and metabolically, formed their characteristic long projections when grown on viscoelastic gels vs. elastic gels, and there were significantly more of them present when the viscoelastic gels contained more conductive material. Oligodendrocytes, which create the myelin sheath that insulates the axons of neurons, were also present in the scaffolds. There was more total myelin and longer myelinated segments on viscoelastic gels than on elastic gels, and the thickness of the myelin increased when there was more conductive material present in the gels.<h2>The pi&egrave;ce de (electrical) r&eacute;sistance</h2>Finally, the team applied electrical stimulation to the living human cells&nbsp;via&nbsp;the conductive materials within their hydrogel scaffold to see how that impacted cell growth. The cells were pulsed with electricity for 15 minutes at a time, either daily or every other day. After eight days, the scaffolds that had been pulsed daily had very few living cells, while those that had been pulsed every other day were full of living cells throughout the scaffold.Following this stimulation period, the cells were left in the scaffolds for a total of 51 days. The few cells left in the scaffolds that had been stimulated daily did not differentiate into other cell types, while the every-other-day scaffolds had highly differentiated neurons and astrocytes with long protrusions. The variation in electrical impulses tested did not seem to have an effect on the amount of myelin present in the gels.&ldquo;The successful differentiation of human NPCs into multiple types of brain cells within our scaffolds is confirmation that the conductive hydrogel provides them the right kind of environment in which to grow&nbsp;in vitro,&rdquo; said senior author<a href="https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/core-faculty/david-mooney/" target="_blank">&nbsp;Dave Mooney</a>, Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at SEAS and a Core Faculty member at the Wyss Institute. &ldquo;It was especially exciting to see myelination on the neurons&rsquo; axons, as that has been an ongoing challenge to replicate in living models of the brain.&rdquo; Mooney is also the Robert P. Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering at SEAS.Tringides is continuing work on the conductive hydrogel scaffolds, with plans to further investigate how various types of electrical stimulation could affect different cell types, and to develop a more comprehensive&nbsp;in vitro&nbsp;model. She hopes that this technology will one day enable the creation of devices that help restore function in human patients who are suffering from neurological and physiological problems.&ldquo;This work represents a major advance by creating an&nbsp;in vitro microenvironment with the right physical, chemical, and electrical properties to support the growth and specialization of human brain cells. &nbsp;This model may be used to speed up the process of finding effective treatments for neurological diseases, in addition to opening up an entirely new approach to create more effective electrodes and brain-machine interfaces that seamlessly integrate with neuronal tissues. We&rsquo;re excited to see where this innovative melding of materials science, biomechanics, and tissue engineering leads in the future,&rdquo; said the Wyss Institute&rsquo;s Founding Director<a href="https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/core-faculty/donald-ingber/" target="_blank">&nbsp;Don Ingber</a>, M.D., Ph.D. Ingber is also the&nbsp;Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children&rsquo;s Hospital, and the&nbsp;Hansj&ouml;rg Wyss Professor of Bioinspired Engineering at SEAS.Additional authors include Marjolaine Boulingre from SEAS, Andrew Khalil from the Wyss Institute and the Whitehead Institute at MIT, Tenzin Lungjangwa from the Whitehead Institute, and Rudolf Jaenisch from the Whitehead Institute and MIT.This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under award nos. 1541959 and DMR-1420570 and a Graduate Research Fellowship Program grant, NIH grants RO1DE013033 5R01DE013349, NSF-MRSEC DMR-2011754, the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University, the EPFL WISH Foundation, and the Wellcome Leap HOPE project.

The scaffold consists of a soft hydrogel (gray) that contains carbon nanotubes (blue) and graphene flakes (red) as conductive materials to transmit electrical impulses throughout the scaffold. (Wyss Institute at Harvard University)

Hydrogel-based scaffolds could be used for better brain-computer interfaces

A soft, stimulating scaffold supports brain cell development ex vivo

Collaboration across disciplines is integral at WashU, often yielding life-changing discoveries. In 2002, when Eric Leuthardt, MD, and Dan Moran were introduced to each other by their department chairs, no one could have predicted it would lead to a collaboration that is reshaping the future of neuroscience.Moran, professor of biomedical engineering at the McKelvey School of Engineering, was then a new faculty member; and Leuthardt, now a professor of neurosurgery, was a resident at the School of Medicine. What started as a mentorship quickly evolved into a research partnership and a lasting friendship.&ldquo;Collaboration is key,&rdquo; Moran says. &ldquo;Eric and I feed off each other, and then you get a gestalt. It&rsquo;s not like, &lsquo;Oh, you go do x, I&rsquo;ll go do y, and we&rsquo;ll put these two things together.&rsquo; It&rsquo;s daily interactions and epiphanies.&rdquo;Leuthardt says he&rsquo;s learned engineering principles from Moran, such as bioelectric phenomena in the brain and analytical analysis. &ldquo;And as a neurosurgeon,&rdquo; Leuthardt says, &ldquo;I think I contribute to Dan&rsquo;s insights when we think about clinical applications.&rdquo;This shared learning led the two researchers to their big idea, the IpsiHand, which makes movement possible again for patients debilitated by stroke. And that&rsquo;s just the beginning. The device is also unlocking new possibilities in neurotechnology, including the reforging of neural networks once thought lost.Developed through Neurolutions,&nbsp;the company Leuthardt and Moran co-founded in 2008, the IpsiHand is the first brain&ndash;computer interface to receive FDA approval for stroke, and the first FDA-approved thought-controlled device. &ldquo;Other brain&ndash;computer interfaces can stimulate a part of the brain,&rdquo; says Leuthardt, &ldquo;but this is the first to decode a patient&rsquo;s intentions.&rdquo;&nbsp;The idea for the IpsiHand, which the FDA green-lighted in April 2021, came out of a groundbreaking discovery. The brain has long been known to operate laterally, with one side of the brain controlling movement in the opposite side of the body. So, when a stroke injures the left side of the brain, motor control can be lost in the right side of the body. Leuthardt&rsquo;s lab was the&nbsp;first to demonstrate that&nbsp;ipsilateral movement, where movement in one side of the body is controlled by&nbsp;the&nbsp;same side of the brain, could be achieved.The breakthrough came as Leuthardt and Moran were studying motor movement in patients. &ldquo;Historically, if you have an electrode array on one side of the brain, you have subjects do opposite-sided movements,&rdquo; Leuthardt says. &ldquo;But as a control, we said, &lsquo;Let&rsquo;s do movements on the same side,&rsquo; not expecting anything quite honestly. The first glimmer that something important was there came when my graduate student called and said, &lsquo;We&rsquo;re screening this patient, but it&rsquo;s the strangest thing. We&rsquo;re having them use the same-sided limb, and we&rsquo;re seeing signal activations.&rsquo;&rdquo;The discoveries cascaded from there. Leuthardt&rsquo;s lab identified how those low-frequency ipsilateral signals could be encoded. And at Neurolutions, the next leap was the development, in collaboration with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, of an exoskeletal device&nbsp;&mdash; the IpsiHand &mdash; that fits over a patient&rsquo;s hand and activates when those ipsilateral signals occur.<figure><blockquote>&ldquo;When neurons fire together, they wire together. It&rsquo;s a way to train the brain.&rdquo;<cite>Dan Moran</cite></blockquote></figure>How does it work?&nbsp;The IpsiHand is not an aid to grip or hold things; instead, a grander idea is at play. When a&nbsp;patient who has lost movement in one side of the body uses the uninjured, same-sided part of the brain to think about, say, moving a finger, low-level ipsilateral neural signals occur, instantaneously activating the IpsiHand to move the finger for them. This produces a neural response from the finger that connects back to the brain&rsquo;s original signal, forging a new neural network for movement. &ldquo;When neurons fire together, they wire together,&rdquo; Moran says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a way to train the brain.&rdquo;The invention&rsquo;s success has been humbling, even poignant, for Leuthardt and Moran. A case in point is a firefighter who had lost movement due to stroke. After four years, he was well past the six-month threshold where motor recovery was believed possible. &ldquo;He used our system,&rdquo; says Leuthardt, &ldquo;and after four weeks, he could put his pants on again by himself, which he hadn&rsquo;t been able to do for four years. And he told me, and this still gets me a little choked up, that he wanted to hold his wife&rsquo;s hand again &mdash; and now he can.&rdquo;Leuthardt and Moran&rsquo;s big idea may lead to greater discoveries in the future. They&rsquo;re applying what they&rsquo;ve learned to spinal cord injury and ALS. They also hope to move from motor function &mdash; the most eminently decodable physiology &mdash; to brain&ndash;computer interfaces that treat psychiatric disorders such as depression. But even now, their discoveries are opening a brighter future for all of us, one patient at a time.

Meet the two scientists behind the IpsiHand, an innovation approved by the FDA in 2021 that is helping patients debilitated by stroke move again

A helping hand

Image credit: Wyss Institute at Harvard University

Article #8 of Improving Lives with Digital Healthcare Series: Advancements in electronics have transformed the healthcare sector. The focus is on improving the experiences of users by utilizing cutting-edge technologies like advanced drug delivery systems, wearables, surgical robots, and more.

The Next-Generation of Medical Technologies: Digitized, Miniaturized, and Connected

This is the fourth article in an&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/design-challenges-in-consumer-and-medical-wearables" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">8-part series</a>&nbsp;featuring articles on Improving Lives with Digital Healthcare. The series focuses on electronic systems that enable innovation in the healthcare industry. This series is sponsored by Mouser Electronics. Through the sponsorship, Mouser Electronics shares its passion for technologies that enable smarter and connected applications.Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) is a means to establish direct communication between a human brain and a computer to allow the machine to sense and be controlled by thoughts converted to electrical signals. The technology has its potential applications in education, gaming, entertainment, and above all, in medical science. BCI devices can help people with paralysis or severe motor disabilities control prosthetic devices.Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) combined with Digital Signal Processing (DSP) enable greater accuracy and reliability in evaluating and developing BCI applications. In this article, we examine this field, and some of the critical electronic components within the signal chain required to measure brain waves, bodily functions, and how everything is put together.<h2 dir="ltr">Brain-Computer Interface and Electroencephalograms</h2>The human brain produces oscillating electronic voltages. The typical value of these voltages is minimal, measured in units on the order of millionths of volt (microVolts). The most common way to collect and analyze these brain-wave voltages is through an electroencephalogram (EEG). An EEG is an electrophysiological monitoring method to record electrical activity on the scalp. It captures signals directly related to the brain waves happening directly under the skull.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjU4NDAxMzUyODUwLTE2NTg0MDEzNTI4NTAucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" width="720" height="405" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Fig. 1: By understanding the brain&#39;s activity in different situations, it is possible to make robotic equipment that can be controlled by thoughts. Source: National Science FoundationBCI via an EEG can be unidirectional (one-way) or bidirectional (two-way). Bidirectional BCI allows information to flow both ways, thus opening the brain to feedback and future adjustments. EEGs can be invasive, semi-invasive, or non-invasive. Invasive EEGs involve directly locating and connecting devices to the human brain. Semi-invasive EEGs can be placed between the brain and the skull. Non-invasive BCI, on the other hand, is generally done by a cap placed on the skull with various electrodes.&nbsp;EEGs provide temporal resolution of 0.05 seconds and spatial resolutions on the order of 10 mm. Other techniques, besides the electrical technique employed by EEGs, can be used to gather data. These techniques can employ magnetic, metabolic, or other forms.Brain waves are classified into one of five general categories based on their frequency as shown in Table 1. Medical researchers break these frequencies into bands because each band represents a distinct way a brain operates in performing its functions. For example, critical activities such as memory and recollection happen especially, but not exclusively, in the theta band. Researchers use these bands to analyze what might be going on if appearing signals are too little, too great, or in an optimal amount.<div align="left" dir="ltr"><table><tbody><tr><td>Band</td><td>Frequency (Hz)</td></tr><tr><td>Delta</td><td>0.5-3</td></tr><tr><td>Theta</td><td>3-8</td></tr><tr><td>Alpha</td><td>8-12</td></tr><tr><td>Beta</td><td>12-38</td></tr><tr><td>Gamma</td><td>38-42</td></tr></tbody></table></div>Table 1: The five general categories of brain wave bands. Each frequency range is a nominal value and not necessarily absolute.An EEG acquires the brainwave signals and digitizes them. They are then signal-processed, where features can be extracted and translation algorithms perform classifications. They also can be printed out or recorded for future analysis.&nbsp;Signal outputs can be utilized to form device commands to provide instructions related to motor control, locomotion/movement, and environmental conditions or stimuli. BCI helps allow disabled people to have more control of their external environments.<h2 dir="ltr">Brain-Computer Interface and the Human Condition</h2>Because of human biology, our senses and our intelligence have fundamental limitations. It is conceivable that BCI and implants could enhance or provide new sensory information and augment biological capabilities.&nbsp;A primary consideration in merging man and machine is understanding how the machine and the human interact and exchange information between themselves on a real-time basis since they operate in two different domains. More work remains to be done to understand how the mutual coordination of individually-addressable neurons directing the brain can function in its environment while maintaining coordination with the digitally-addressable domain of the interface.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">Brain-Computer Interface Research</h2>BCI is also being investigated to look at areas to help humanity, including restoring or enhancing human vision, motor recovery for disabled limbs, and brain mapping to assist in restoring and correcting various neurological damage and disorders. Brain mapping can lead to a greater understanding of seeing how human thought is realized to human action. It can lead to augmented human learning, new or enhanced human sensing, and new embedded autonomous neural systems. Let&rsquo;s look at two examples of where BCI can continue to evolve and lead.<h3 dir="ltr">Superhuman Cognition</h3>Billionaire Elon Musk is actively investigating BCI issues. He is one of the founders of Neuralink Corp., a neurotechnology company developing implantable brain-machine interfaces. Neuralink is working on building better tools for communicating with the brain. These founders believe that, with the right team, the applications for this technology are limitless. Neuralink is exploring the possibility of embedding into the brain ultrafine electronic threads that permit neural activity. One of Musk&rsquo;s stated goals is to achieve &ldquo;superhuman cognition.&rdquo;&nbsp;Inventor and futurist Ray Kurzweil believes that human intelligence is characterized by its remarkable ability to recognize patterns. He views human intelligence as an evolutionary, self-organizing hierarchical system operating in the context of a biological pattern-recognition machine. Musk is motivated to achieve superhuman cognition based upon his desire for humanity to negotiate more proficiently in understanding the emergence and spread of more powerful AI, which is becoming ever more adept in its excellence at pattern recognition.&nbsp;<h3 dir="ltr">New Senses</h3>When looking at how BCI can enhance human senses, one can consider the case of Neil Harbisson, cofounder of the Cyber Foundation. He has been recognized as the world&rsquo;s first cyborg. Born color-blind, Harbisson has permanently installed an antenna into his skull so that he can now literally hear color, substituting his auditory sense in place of his visual limitation. Harbisson is actively advocating a future in which humans incorporate technology into their bodies.<h3 dir="ltr">Sensor Hubs</h3>Supporting these efforts, sensor hubs are being employed in various ways to collect additional biometric information beyond BCI. Sensor hubs use multiple sensors and a microcontroller to collect and analyze numerous human parameters not directly accessed by brain waves. These can include collecting information about the human pulse heart rate, pulse blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), and estimated blood pressure.<h2 dir="ltr">Ensuring High-Quality Data</h2>Because brain signals are so small, the entire electronic signal chain is prioritized in its design to minimize noisy, spurious, or artifact signals. The patient might induce these sources through their physical movements, sweating, eye movements, heart rhythms, and the like. Electrical errors can result from 50Hz/60Hz noise, electrode-skin contact issues, and cable movements.Successful electronic component selection will focus on utilizing high-precision, low-noise, high-resolution signal chain products. Low-noise amplifiers (LNA), unity-gain buffers, and precision Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) are chosen to prevent the introduction of unwanted signals into the chain while providing the ability to resolve data accurately and reliably. Differential amplifiers and bandpass filters are also employed to ensure only high-quality data is transmitted. Appropriate connectors and jumpers are needed to get accurate signals into and out of the brain.&nbsp;<h2 dir="ltr">Artificial Intelligence with Brain-Computer Interface</h2>AI and its subsets, including ML and deep learning (DL), are enabling approaches in EEG-based BCIs. DL can offer automatic classifications of EEG signals. This effort allows for the data to be utilized in various applications and other Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) training. At present, human expertise supports AI approaches. The desire is to eliminate artifacts, increase the data quality, and continue to realize gains in AI technology so that measured brain wave signals can continue to exhibit exponential increases in their ability to be classified by AI through DL techniques.<h2 dir="ltr">Electronic Components by Molex Enabling Brain-Computer Interface Applications</h2><a href="https://www.mouser.com/new/molex/molex-025-premo-flex-jumpers/" target="_blank">Molex 0.25mm-Pitch Premo-Flex Jumpers</a> offer reliable connectivity in a compact design for tight packaging applications. The jumpers deliver durable, ultra-flexible, cost-effective solutions for printed circuit board (PCB) connections in virtually any industry. These FFC/FPC jumpers are available in standard lengths, pitches, and circuit sizes to accommodate a wide range of flexible interconnect requirements between two PCBs. Molex 0.25mm-Pitch Premo-Flex Jumpers are ideal for medical applications, including patient monitoring for signals, including the body&rsquo;s condition, surgical equipment, and telehealth. <img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjU4NDAxMzUxNDY5LTE2NTg0MDEzNTE0NjkucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Fig. 2:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mouser.com/new/molex/molex-025-premo-flex-jumpers/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Molex 0.25mm-Pitch Premo-Flex Jumpers</a><a href="https://www.mouser.com/new/molex/molexeasyon/" target="_blank">Molex 0.25mm Pitch Easy-On FPC Connectors</a> offer a 50 V voltage rating, 50 M&Omega; insulation resistance, and 150 V AC dielectric withstanding voltage. These connectors provide designers with a range of sizes and styles to accommodate other PCB components. Molex 0.25 mm Pitch Easy-On FPC Connectors are ideal for next-generation medical devices. <img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjU4NDAxMzUxMzcwLTE2NTg0MDEzNTEzNzAucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" width="720" height="144" class="fr-fic fr-dii">Fig. 3:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.mouser.com/new/molex/molexeasyon/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Molex 0.25mm Pitch Easy-On FPC Connectors</a><h2 dir="ltr">Conclusion</h2>EEG-based BCI relies on high-performance electronic signal chains. Careful consideration of all critical electronic components, including reliable connectivity in compact designs, are needed to accurately measure EEG and other bodily functions. AI and DL techniques enable dynamic EEG data to receive better interpretations and allow humanity to realize more benefits from BCI.This article was initially published by Mouser and Molex in an <a href="https://www.mouser.com/news/molex-improving-lives-with-digital-healthcare/molex-improving-lives-with-digital-healthcare.html" target="_blank">e-magazine</a>. It has been substantially edited by the Wevolver team and Electrical Engineer <a href="https://www.wevolver.com/profile/ravi.rao" target="_blank">Ravi Y Rao</a>. It&#39;s the fourth article from the Improving Lives with Digital Healthcare Series. Future articles will introduce readers to some more interesting applications of electronics in healthcare.<hr><a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/biomedical-instruments-and-the-future-of-digital-healthcare/draft" target="_blank">Introductory article</a> covered the fundamentals of biomedical instruments and the ways in which digitizing them is transforming healthcare.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/design-challenges-in-consumer-and-medical-wearables" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Article 1</a> explored the design challenges in Consumer and Medical wearables. It showcased how technologies once limited to hospitals are now made available to everyone for monitoring personal health.<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/connectivity-solutions-for-the-next-generation-of-surgical-robots" target="_blank">Article 2</a>&nbsp;was focused on the present state of robotic surgery. It explained how advancements in robotics and communication, combined with the expertise of surgeons, enable customized treatments for patients.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/sensing-and-energy-systems-for-minimally-invasive-cardiovascular-surgeries" target="_blank">Article 3</a> presents an overview of how new sensing, communication, and energy systems, engineered for the healthcare sector can be used to transform cardiovascular disease treatment procedures.<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/next-generation-medical-devices-for-brain-computer-interfaces" target="_blank">Article 4</a> examined Brain-Computer Interfaces and how they help in enhancing human vision, motor recovery for disabled limbs, and more.<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/designing-medical-devices-for-real-life-an-interview-with-molex-printed-circuit-solutions" target="_blank">Article 5</a> featured an informative webchat between Mike Depp, and Glen Capek from Molex, as they discussed trends in flexible electronics driving new solutions for medical wearables applications.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/immersive-technologies-in-medical-education" target="_blank">Article 6</a> discussed how immersive digital technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) make medical learning more engaging through lifelike experiences.<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/enabling-early-diagnosis-and-better-postoperative-care-with-remote-health-monitoring-devices" target="_blank">Article 7</a> explained the role of wearable devices and their enabling technologies in revolutionizing continuous health monitoring.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wevolver.com/article/the-next-generation-of-medical-technologies-digitized-miniaturized-and-connected" target="_blank">Final article</a> was a roundup of the entire series that tried to give readers a snapshot of the potential of medical technologies in the present times.<hr><h2 dir="ltr">About the sponsor: Mouser Electronics</h2>Mouser Electronics is a worldwide leading authorized distributor of semiconductors and electronic components for over 1,100 manufacturer brands. They specialize in the rapid introduction of new products and technologies for design engineers and buyers. Their extensive product offering includes semiconductors, interconnects, passives, and electromechanical components.<img src="https://images.wevolver.com/eyJidWNrZXQiOiJ3ZXZvbHZlci1wcm9qZWN0LWltYWdlcyIsImtleSI6ImZyb2FsYS8xNjU4NDAxMzUxMTY4LTE2NTg0MDEzNTExNjgucG5nIiwiZWRpdHMiOnsicmVzaXplIjp7IndpZHRoIjo5NTAsImZpdCI6ImNvdmVyIn19fQ==" class="fr-fic fr-dii"><h2 dir="ltr">References</h2>[1] Next-gen devices for Brain-Computer Interfaces, Mouser, [Online], Available from: <a href="https://www.mouser.com/blog/next-generation-medical-devices-bci" target="_blank">https://www.mouser.com/blog/next-generation-medical-devices-bci</a>

Article #4 of Improving Lives with Digital Healthcare Series: Transferring information directly between the human brain and a computer can unlock the possibilities of using machines as extended parts of the human body.

Next-Generation Medical Devices for Brain-Computer Interfaces

<a href="https://brooksrehab.org/" target="_blank">Brooks Rehabilitation</a> recently announced that the MagTrack study, a collaborative research endeavor with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ece.gatech.edu/" target="_blank">Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering</a>, has been successfully completed. Feedback from the Brooks clinical team and its patients has allowed Georgia Tech engineers to transform their early research prototype into a user-ready version that was tested by more than 17 power wheelchair users living with tetraplegia — a form of paralysis caused by spinal cord injury that affects the arms, hands, trunk, legs, and pelvic organs.The collaboration between the Brooks and Georgia Tech teams has created a path to a first-of-its-kind, innovative application for individuals living with disabilities. The teams — comprised of physicians, clinical therapists, and engineers — brought together multidisciplinary expertise in advanced science, technology, and clinical rehabilitation.“We met with the Georgia Tech team years ago, when we first heard of the research breakthroughs they were achieving for wheelchair users. Brooks is constantly looking for technology that is useful for our patient population living with spinal cord injuries and mobility impairments. To see where the MagTrack project has advanced even just since the early stages of this study is incredible,” said Geneva Tonuzi, medical director of the spinal cord injury program, the spinal cord injury and related disorders day treatment program, and Cyberdyne HAL Therapy at Brooks Rehabilitation.As a result of this engineering-clinical collaboration,&nbsp;<a href="https://magtrack.ece.gatech.edu/" target="_blank">MagTrack</a> was created as a cutting-edge assistive technology that enables power wheelchair users to control their connected devices (e.g., smartphone, computer) and drive their power wheelchairs using an alternative, multimodal controller. In addition, the assistive device is designed to be wearable, wireless, and adaptable to the user’s specific condition.The MagTrack study is earning the praise of patients and scientists alike and has been&nbsp;<a href="https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9540352" target="_blank">published</a> in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.embs.org/tbme/" target="_blank">IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering</a>. From the beginning, the MagTrack studies have tested the performance of the Head-Tongue Controller (HTC), an earlier version of the MagTrack technology, on its ability to perform complex human-machine interactions that will enhance users’ quality of life. The MagTrack’s HTC allows the user to perform a variety of complex tasks in a single controller through the use of tongue and head movements, which are detected by eyewear and a tiny tracer that is temporarily glued onto the tongue using Glustitch’s&nbsp;<a href="https://periacryl.com/" target="_blank">PeryAcryl</a> bio-compatible adhesive. Target-specific commands are generated from these motions using advanced data processing and machine learning models. This combination of input modalities allows the user to perform a variety of daily functions with customizable control, from performing complex computer tasks (e.g., mouse navigation, scrolling, drag-and-drop) to completing advanced driving maneuvers when connected to a power wheelchair.In the latest study, researchers connected the MagTrack technology to a single power wheelchair donated by Quantum Rehab, and recruited 17 patient volunteers from Brooks Rehabilitation to test the functionality and usability of the device by completing a set of both simple and advanced driving tasks. Results showed that new users of MagTrack can complete these tasks as fast, and sometimes even faster, with the MagTrack’s HTC rather than their personal, alternative controller. Since the study session lasted less than 3 hours — and in a power wheelchair that wasn’t their own — it is anticipated that participants would be more proficient, and thus perform better with MagTrack, if they were given more time to familiarize themselves with its multimodal capabilities and using their own power wheelchair."Working with all of the participants has been very rewarding,” said Jesse Milliken, speech-language pathologist in the spinal cord injury program at&nbsp;<a href="https://brooksrehab.org/" target="_blank">Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital</a>. “Each patient who came in was someone who has been directly affected by a spinal cord injury and who can truly benefit from this technology. It was amazing to see how their faces lit up when they saw they were able to control their wheelchair with such ease and comfort. They all said they can see this improving their day-to-day lives if it were available to them. It's been such an honor to be a part of this process and see the work and thought process behind such advanced technology." Patients from the&nbsp;<a href="https://brooksrehab.org/" target="_blank">Brooks</a> spinal cord injury program who have participated in phase three of the study call the advancement “exciting” and a “great system that can be used for so many things.” After experiencing the technology themselves, they believe it will “touch the lives of those who are able to use it.”To date, the head array and sip-and-puff are the most common alternative controllers recommended by physical therapists to individuals living with tetraplegia, while specialized switches and joystick technology are available for those with mobility in their upper extremities. These technologies were developed many decades ago for the basic need of controlling a power wheelchair. Since then, a lack of innovation in this field has hindered these assistive technologies from adapting to today’s technology. Furthermore, they are affixed to the wheelchair, which becomes inaccessible once the user is transferred to a bed, a couch, or any location away from the wheelchair. Therefore, there is a growing need for this population to have access to new, alternative controllers that will enable them to be active members of an interconnected digital world.“The trajectory of the MagTrack study shows an unprecedented possibility for the advancement of independent function as well as mobility for electric wheelchair users. Our team and partners are energized and motivated by the recent patient trials to continue to push this technology and its capabilities as far as possible. This technology can significantly improve people’s lives. We will continue to work to see these advances in assistive technology come to life,” said Georgia Tech’s Omer T. Inan, director of the Inan Research Lab, Linda J. and Mark C. Smith Chair in Bioscience and Bioengineering, associate professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and adjunct associate professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering.“MagTrack is an innovative assistive technology aimed for those living with physical paralysis to have access to more complex human-machine interactions, which will facilitate the control of more devices in their everyday life that they cannot easily use otherwise,” said Nordine Sebkhi, postdoctoral researcher at the Inan Research Lab in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “The development of our wearable alternative controller eliminates the need for having multiple assistive technologies, replacing them with a single multimodal and integrated system.” Sebkhi is the co-creator of MagTrack and the technical lead in the development of this assistive technology.As a result of these studies,&nbsp;<a href="https://magtrack.ece.gatech.edu/" target="_blank">MagTrack</a> has been refined to offer a fully integrated, all-in-one experience so that a user can seamlessly switch between driving their wheelchair and controlling connected devices in their surroundings (e.g., smartphone, computer, automated door opener, smart TV). The system can be used anywhere since it is wearable, and its built-in wireless connectivity facilitates portability.The team at Georgia Tech is already working on a new version of&nbsp;<a href="https://magtrack.ece.gatech.edu/" target="_blank">MagTrack</a> that is not only more inconspicuous, but also includes detection of facial gestures that significantly augments its control capabilities. Thanks to a grant from the&nbsp;<a href="https://gra.org/" target="_blank">Georgia Research Alliance</a>, this new version of MagTrack will be tested in a focus group at the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.shepherd.org/" target="_blank">Shepherd Center</a> and in simulated testing in a home-like environment. In the coming year, the team plans to make MagTrack available to early adopters for at-home validation testing to further improve the technology before pursuing commercialization.This successful study is only a start since, at its core, MagTrack is a new type of body motion tracking. The Georgia Tech team is working on various designs of MagTrack to be used as a wearable articulograph for motor speech disorders, as a hand and joint tracking system for physical rehabilitation, and even as a finger tracking for VR/AR applications. The MagTrack team will be partnering with the&nbsp;<a href="https://gcmiatl.com/" target="_blank">Global Center for Medical Innovation</a> to assist in regulatory strategy and project planning to transition the technology from the lab to the market.

A squint is an example of a facial gesture that MagTrack can detect and issue a discrete command to control a connected device.

Clinical work begins with MagTrack, a cutting-edge assistive technology that enables power wheelchair users to control their connected devices and drive their power wheelchairs using an alternative, multimodal controller.

neuro-robotics