Rethinking the Brain Machine Interface | Polina Anikeeva | TEDxCambridge

The way humans interact with computers has evolved from punch cards, to the keyboard and mouse, to much more sophisticated user interfaces, but the kinds of connections imagined in movies like The Matrix, Avatar or Pacific Rim still seem like science fiction. Polina Anikeeva is working to turn fiction into fact, not to help with virtual reality technology, but to help amputees restore full functionality to prosthetic limbs - not just to control the muscles, but to be able to feel and touch again. To achieve this, you need the precision of a virtuoso pianist to connect neural tissue to the prosthetic limb. The key to this precision is finding the right materials.

Dr. Polina Anikeeva is an assistant professor of Materials Science and Engineering at MIT and a principle investigator of the Bioelectronics group. Her research lies in the field of neuroprosthetics and brain-machine interfaces. Together with her group she explores optoelectronic, fiber-based and magnetic approaches to minimally invasive neural interrogation. Her group was first to demonstrate multifunctional flexible fibers for simultaneous optical stimulation, electrical recording and drug delivery in the brain and spinal cord, as well as magnetic nanomaterials for wireless magnetic deep brain stimulation. Her work at the interface of materials science and neurobiology earned a number of junior faculty awards including NSF CAREER and DARPA Young Faculty Award and was recently featured across popular press. She received her doctoral degree in Materials Science from MIT.

[hassankarim]

Prof. Anikeeva, thank you for the elucidating presentation on brain communications. The topic of wireless communication with the brain will become revolutionary! Kudos and I hope to be around to reflect on... I remember watching a TedX video by Dr. Anikeeva in 2015 on this very subject.

[paradoxical]

she's probably the very product of what she's presenting

[mizubiart]

It must be hard to condense such a complex topic into these succinct metaphors. She knows her stuff inside out.

[dr.imayavarambanmunuswamy]

Many thanks, Madam for your explanation. Excellent.

[Rakeshkumar-vmkw]

This device can be help in paralysis patient/cases for movement walking and do other work

[jgqrisd]

instead of replacing the neurons. learn when and how to make the synapses fire, and learn the code.

[encrypt.dotwav]

americans had some of the earliest computers from the macintosh's of the 2000s from apple computer and their hot keys combinations had brain machine interfaces that only applied after the start up sound, and was the foundation of early interfaces to technology. disturbing some of the sense and spinal cord of the user, a combination of hot keys and thought while tapping the right corner of the machine, in sequence would unlock the certain features of this computer. works for desktops and latptops from apple computers from 2004-2013,

. there are thousands of people who were doing this and still are able to achieve this on smartphones and "tap" into some of the holographic reality

[bobhaltom]

Excellent presentation and "theory" for brain interface, however many caveats, the time line of research to manufacturing actual devices, the primary application seems to be as she mentions toward the end of her presentation- maybe reconnecting brainstem, but primarily use is for prosthesis. Tnere is nothing you can do with interface devices to cure or improve Alzhimers where the ability to transfer signals is completely destroyed - and that could be the largest market for man made technology. We're still 25-30 years out for her theories. BCI research seems to be a phase that needs to be devolped before we can reach her theoretical level. And of course the entire development has to start with rats - another level of delay designing products unrelated to the desired implant potential

[Unboundedominion]

Medical purpose: Use neural interface for comatose patients to link with the waking living real world via avatar or signal output and sensor array. Issue might be changing of brain chemistry that might not be safe.

[markeccles]

For brain surgery the patient is usually asleep during the cutting/drilling through the scull, and only woken up after the brain is exposed.

[Larrythebassman]

👏👏👏👏👏⚡️🔥🚀✨Yes excellent the power of the magnetic field I believe that’s a perfect solution and hope to see the progress rapidly

[Gerdaldfighterkid]

Wait you lost me at the end after you said you can apply the magnetic field to heat up area of brain surrounded by the smart dust... what does that do when it’s warmed?

[pvlkmrv]

Best accent and odd word choices. Reminds me of my babushka.

[secularhumanist]

I am ready to have it implemented! :-) okay...not too thrilled about the drilling....too invasive...wirelessly would be wonderful....

[santiagoarroyob]

how are you gonna specifically stimulate neurons

[jacobrhodes]

I think we are part of the universe and contain its building blocks and materials.
We even contain various metals.

[shivangprasad]

hiterisis as inciting motion is memory

[mikematthews]

I mean we can just spray all this magnetic field particulate into the atomsphere so we breath it in, get it in our food and water supplies. Once were all loaded up with the primer we can flick the switch on all the cell towers to emit the right frequency to activate the proper neurons causing uncontrollable rage in individuals. We can create a real life version of 28 days later the movie

[kingkrimes]

I believe I have a brain chip. How can I find out if I got them, and where itsactly are they?

[husnainanwaar]

imagen stephen hawking with this technology...