What is Medical Bionics?
Medical bionics is the replacement or monitoring of damaged organs through engineered devices that interface with the body to improve health outcomes. In this presentation I will concentrate on medical bionic devices designed to restore or supplement function of the nervous system lost during disease or injury.
A number of commercially available neural prostheses will be described – including the remarkably successful bionic ear and deep brain stimulation for movement control.
I will then review some of the current research performed around the world – including recent developments in brain-machine interface that will ultimately allow patients to control prosthetic limbs and wheel chairs; developments in functional electrical stimulation for gait and standing in paraplegia; and research to develop a prosthetic balance system.