Bionics

The Science of Cyborgs

A bionic eye restores sight to a man who uses a tiny digital video camera attached to his glasses. The camera records images and sends them to an electrode implanted in the man’s brain.

A computer chip implanted in the brain allows some paralysis victims to move a cursor across a computer screen using only their thoughts.

Pilots can use the brain’s electrical impulses to “maneuver” a flight simulator- and may someday be able to use this brain power to fly an airplane. Focusing the brain’s energy this way might eventually help people with motor-control problems operate wheelchairs or household appliances.

Substituting Wires for Nerves

Bionics is the science of implanting man-made products into the human body. Bionic procedures that once seemed unbelievable are now commonplace. Nearly a million people are walking with artificial hips. Hundreds of thousands of people are alive because they’ve received a heart pacemaker or artificial heart valves. But bionic researchers are not content with this success; they continue to push the frontiers of medicine. One of the most exciting advances is in the field of spinal cord injuries.

The spinal cord is a tube of nerve tissue inside the spine. The nerves carry messages between the brain and the body. These messages instruct our muscles to move. If the spinal cord is damaged, certain messages won’t be delivered, and a person may become paralyzed.

Because spinal cord nerves do not regenerate, researchers have investigated artificial ways to stimulate muscle control. One promising technique is to implant very fine, hair-like wires inside the spinal cord. An electrical impulse is passed through the wires to stimulate movement in the legs.

Researchers believe that such treatments- in combination with others- may one day enable people who are paralyzed to walk.