| Speaker Affiliation | Scientia Professor, UNSW Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering, Sydney, Australia |
| Start | 04.05.2015, 15:00 Uhr |
| Location | TU Braunschweig, Informatikzentrum, Mühlenpfordtstraße 23, 4. OG, Raum 404 |
| Invited by | Prof. Dr. Reinhold Haux |
| Many engineering challenges and scientific endeavours are focused on the interface between physical and biological domains. This presentation will focus on aspects of the bionic interface where electronic and mechanical devices interact with biological systems. Descriptions will also cover aspects of systems interfacing of wearable and implantable devices to encompass not just medical therapeutic devices but also diagnostic and physiological monitoring devices. Two technologies will be considered to illustrate the importance of the next generation of bionic interfaces. These will include an implantable device designed to restore aspects of patterned vision to those with profound vision loss – a so-called ‘bionic eye’ or visual neuroprosthesis, as well as a wearable ambulatory device with applications in fall detection and fall prediction. A critical consideration in designing a visual neuroprosthesis that affords improved visual acuity is engineering a stable, long-term, low impedance interface between the stimulating electrodes and the neural tissue; and associated with this, optimising stimulation paradigms to provide localised and punctate phosphenes with minimal cross-talk or interaction between electrodes. Various scientific and technological advances, including improvements in current steering and electrode coatings, will be explored. The next generation of bionic devices will also include implantable and wearable monitoring technologies. As an example, we will describe wearable ambulatory technologies based around inertial measurement units coupled with barometric pressure sensors for estimating risks of falling and for automatically detecting falls in the free-living environment. | |