micro neural probe seminar today 415pm

Yu-Chong Tai, Ph.D.
Prof. of EE, ME and BE, Division of Engineering and Applied Science
California Institute of Technology
http://mc.stanford.edu/Micro_Neural_Implants

Thursday October 8, 4:15pm
Bldg 200 Room 205
http://mc.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/images/c/cc/200_205.png

Micro Neural Implants

Neurons, once severely damaged, do not repair or regenerate
themselves, leaving permanent debilitating deficits for tens of
millions of people worldwide. As stem cell therapy is yet proven,
implant technologies to interface intact tissues and/or replace
defective functions continues to be the main solution for many neural
diseases. As our society is facing more severe population aging
problems, significant growth in neural implants is predicted. One
should know, however, that even commercially successful implants
still have a lot of room for improvement. For example, cardiovascular
and cochlear implants are still bulky, mechanically rigid, power
hungry, and functionally limited for delicate and small organs. For
example, retinal implant, a major research forefront after pacemakers
and cochlear implants, demands large number of electrodes and
extremely small size beyond the current technology. This talk will
then discuss our research experience on the next generation micro
neural implants to cover applications for cortical, retinal, and
spinal use. The focus is to apply micro/nanotechnology to develop a
new generation of miniature, flexible and highly functional neural
implants. Many interesting issues related to materials, technology
and biology will be discussed.