Brain-computer interfaces for the paralyzed
This is one of the most interesting, yet greatly helpful technologies that are built for the future. The latest research in this area of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) is currently underway, with institutions such as New York University coming up with the best ideas to improve in this aspect as seen in the report by Chaudhary et al. (2020).
The current world and technology have seen a lot of developments concerning 3D printing and this is fast becoming a norm in almost all industries. The medical field has not been left behind either. The biotechnology industry is currently researching further on printing of living cells. On the same vein, the 3D printing is being touted as the future of medicine and we are here to assure you that you will enjoy every bit of it, courtesy of our first-class medical facilities.
Even though that prospect might be a long time coming, we already have the first every neuroprosthetics in the market. Here, you can manage to buy cochlear implants as well as retinal implants that will be helpful to you. This layer received approval in the year 2013. There are implants for individuals suffering from Parkinson’s disease Degenhart et al. (2018) which work by sending electrical pulses deep into the brain and activating some of the pathways used in motor control. Brain implant therapies for individuals with paralysis by spinal cord injury also exist (Birbaumer et al., 2016). Here, a chip is inserted into the brain and reads off all electrical signals which are later translated by a computer to restore some communication and movement.
The world has already embraced technology, and so should you. The technology has been embraced by different sectors such as the military and other fields, but the medical field is the greatest beneficiary
The global market revenue in USD is as projected below (2018 to 2025 estimated figures).
References
Chaudhary, U., Birbaumer, N., & Ramos-Murguialday, A. (2016). Brain–computer interfaces for communication and rehabilitation. Nature Reviews Neurology, 12(9), 513.
Chaudhary, U., Mrachacz‐Kersting, N., & Birbaumer, N. (2020). Neuropsychological and neurophysiological aspects of brain‐computer‐interface (BCI) control in paralysis. The Journal of Physiology.
Degenhart, A. D., Hiremath, S. V., Yang, Y., Foldes, S., Collinger, J. L., Boninger, M., … & Wang, W. (2018). Remapping cortical modulation for electrocorticographic brain–computer interfaces: a somatotopy-based approach in individuals with upper-limb paralysis. Journal of neural engineering, 15(2), 026021.