[Nfbf-l] Artificial retina: Physicists develop an interface to the optical nerve (Germany)
Alan Dicey
adicey at bellsouth.net
Sun Aug 10 21:57:13 UTC 2014
Dear Friends,
It saddens me that it seems more research is being done in other countries
to find "A Cure For Blindness" than our America The Beautiful.
Well, they will be the ones to obtain the patents and the Billions of
dollars gained in using them.
With Best Regards,
God Bless,
Alan
Plantation, Florida
Artificial retina: Physicists develop an interface to the optical nerve
August 7, 2014
(Photo)
Graphene electronics can be prepared on flexible substrates. Only the gold
metal leads are visible in the transparent graphene sensor. Credit: Natalia
Hutanu / TUM
Physicists at Technische Universitat Munchen (TUM) are using the special
properties of graphene to produce key elements of an artificial retina. With
their research program the researchers were admitted to the heavily funded
'Graphene' Flagship Program of the European Union.
Graphene is viewed as a kind of "miracle solution": It is thin, transparent
and has a tensile strength greater than that of steel. In addition, it
conducts electricity better than copper. Since it comprises only a single
layer of carbon atoms it is considered two-dimensional. In 2010 the
scientists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize
for their ground-breaking work on this material.
In October 2013, the "Graphene" project was selected alongside the "Human
Brain Project" as a Flagship Project of the EU FET Initiative (Future and
Emerging Technologies). Under the supervision of Chalmers University of
Technology in Sweden, it bundles the research activities and will be funded
with one billion euro over ten years. In July 2014 the program took on 66
new partners, including the TUM.
Optical Prostheses for Blind People
Because of its unusual properties, graphene holds great potential for
applications, especially in the field of medical technology. A team of
researchers led by Dr. Jose A. Garrido at the Walter Schottky Institut of
the TUM is taking advantage of these properties. In collaboration with
partners from the Institut de la Vision of the Université Pierre et Marie
Curie in Paris and the French company Pixium Vision, the physicists are
developing key components of an artificial retina made of graphene.
Retina implants can serve as optical prostheses for blind people whose
optical nerves are still intact. The implants convert incident light into
electrical impulses that are transmitted to the brain via the optical nerve.
There, the information is transformed into images. Although various
approaches for implants exist today, the devices are often rejected by the
body and the signals transmitted to the brain are generally not optimal.
Excellent Biocompatibility
In contrast to the traditionally used materials, graphene has excellent
biocompatibility thanks to its great flexibility and chemical durability.
With its outstanding electronic properties, graphene provides an efficient
interface for communication between the retina prosthesis and nerve tissue.
With their ambitious research project, the TUM researchers have now secured
a place in the "Graphene" Flagship Program. The TUM is also involved in the
second EU Flagship Program The Human Brain Project" - coordinating the
domain "Neurorobotics".
Explore further: Graphene: Potential of one carbon atom-thick wonder
material has not escaped industry's radar
Provided by Technical University Munich
http://phys.org/news/2014-08-artificial-retina-physicists-interface-optical.html
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