Tel Aviv University Creates a Digital Cerebellum for Animals
Omar Yusuf — September 29, 2011 — Tech
References: newscientist & gizmodo
Professor Matti Mintz and his fellow researchers at Tel Aviv University have built a digital cerebellum that when implanted into the brain of mice can restore, augment or develop entirely novel brain functions. It may sound flippant, but this may indeed mark a radical shift in human-technology interfacing.
Many onlookers laughed when Neo, suddenly unplugged from the Matrix simulation, exclaims "I know Kung-Fu!" Yet, what passed for humor in 1999 is slowly melding into the reality of 2011. Cochlear implants and prosthesis have already proven that electronics can be plugged directly into sensory glands or muscle tissue without much problem. The digital cerebellum will actually connect with your brain, an entirely mystifying organ. Typically responsible for motor functions, the cerebellums in mice were upgraded to perform more complex tasks and to deliver direct orders to the organ when implanted with this device.
Digitizing brain tissue is a technique that promises to restore brain functions in traumatized or injured patients, and it may even bestow supernatural powers to healthier brains! Who knows what the future has in store next.
Many onlookers laughed when Neo, suddenly unplugged from the Matrix simulation, exclaims "I know Kung-Fu!" Yet, what passed for humor in 1999 is slowly melding into the reality of 2011. Cochlear implants and prosthesis have already proven that electronics can be plugged directly into sensory glands or muscle tissue without much problem. The digital cerebellum will actually connect with your brain, an entirely mystifying organ. Typically responsible for motor functions, the cerebellums in mice were upgraded to perform more complex tasks and to deliver direct orders to the organ when implanted with this device.
Digitizing brain tissue is a technique that promises to restore brain functions in traumatized or injured patients, and it may even bestow supernatural powers to healthier brains! Who knows what the future has in store next.
Trend Themes
1. Digital Cerebellum - The development of a digital cerebellum presents an opportunity for disruptive innovation in brain-computer interface technology.
2. Human-technology Interfacing - Advancements in technology and brain implants are leading to new opportunities for disruptive innovation in the field of human-technology interfacing.
3. Restorative Brain Functions - The digitization of brain tissue offers the potential to restore brain functions in traumatized or injured patients, creating opportunities for disruptive innovation in the healthcare industry.
Industry Implications
1. Healthcare - The development of digital cerebellum implants opens up disruptive innovation opportunities in the healthcare industry, particularly in the field of neurology.
2. Technology - Advancements in human-technology interfacing, such as brain implants, present disruptive innovation opportunities in the technology industry, particularly in the development of brain-computer interface devices.
3. Biotechnology - The digitization of brain tissue for restoring brain functions creates disruptive innovation opportunities in the biotechnology industry, particularly in the development of regenerative therapies.
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