(Good weather, good science) Will there be a Korean version of Neuralink? The “liquid metal” that the researchers focused on
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Neuralink, a brain neuroscience company founded by Elon Musk, recently announced that it had succeeded in implanting a semiconductor chip in the human brain and moving a computer mouse using only thoughts.
This BCI (brain-computer interface) technology places a chip in the head and controls an external computer using brain waves.
This involves opening the skull and inserting electrodes directly into the brain.
However, the semiconductor chip is made of hard metal, so there was a problem that it was foreign when implanted and caused inflammation and infection in the soft tissues of the brain.
There was also the limitation that brain damage interfered with signal transmission between nerve cells, making long-term use impossible.
A local research team has created a soft artificial electrode using an innovative method.
This is the use of liquid metal.
Remember the villainous T-1000 robot from Terminator 2?
It is a liquid metal robot that transforms from solid to liquid, from liquid to solid, and even comes to life while being filmed.
Researchers have created a semiconductor chip using this liquid metal.
It is a material that is not hard, but soft like jelly, so it is well suited to the soft characteristics of the brain.
Even if you put it in your brain, it doesn't feel foreign.
The electronic circuit that receives nerve signals from the brain was also made of liquid metal.
Given that human skulls have different shapes, researchers have developed a method for drawing electronic circuits on skulls for the first time.
It's engraved like a tattoo using a 3D printer that squeezes liquid metal.
The structure and location of the electronic circuit can be changed according to the patient's symptoms.
A wireless communication chip is built into the electronic circuit to provide Bluetooth-like connectivity without the need for a separate wired device. You can analyze your brain waves in real time by holding your cell phone close to your head. The researchers implanted nerve electrodes and electronic circuits in experimental mice and managed to stably transmit and receive nerve signals for eight months. Although it lasted more than half the rat's life, its brain tissue was not damaged. It is expected that this technology will be used in the future to treat patients with brain diseases. It is explained that by implanting artificial electrodes in the brain of a Parkinson's patient and providing electrical stimulation, it is possible to treat symptoms such as hand tremors that return to normal. It seems that the distant future of science and technology is not so far away. So far it's been “good weather, good science”. Reporter Lim Ha-kyung (limhakyung@yna.co.kr) (Video reporter Yang Jae Joon) #Neuralink #Brain #BCI #Semiconductor Chip #Liquid Metal #Brain Science #Terminator #Neure Electrode Yonhap News TV article requests and reports. KakaoTalk/Line jebo23 (end)