Relevance: Mains: G.S paper III: Science and tech
Why in news?
- A recent medical trial restored partial sight to six blind people via an implant that transmits video images directly to the brain.
- The device used was called Orion, which feeds images from a camera directly to the brain.
- “Cognitive neuroprosthetics” are devices that directly interface with the brain to improve memory, attention, emotion and much more.
Challenges with existing system
- Current neuromodulation systems need surgical implantation of bulky components with limited battery life.
- Batteries impact an intervention’s cost and lifetime, a device’s size and weight, the need for repeat surgeries and problems of tissue-heating and performance compromises. This is due to the relatively high power consumption of the electronics for a given performance requirement.
- The National Institutes of Health in the US opines that pacemaker batteries last between 5-15 years, but their average lifespan is 6-7 years; a doctor has to operate again after about 7 years to replace either the battery or the pacemaker itself.
Way forward
- A flexible chip-type implant that harnesses glucose present in the body and converts it into electrical energy that can power a neurological implant.
- The problem of battery size can be tackled by reducing the power consumption and operating the electronics near fundamental levels of physics.
- Achieving a higher number of channels, better signal-to-noise ratio, and improved flexibility and robustness while working at ultra-low power can significantly lower implant sizes without sacrificing performance.
- Ultra-low-power semiconductors to generate chipsets that have been validated in lab and animal trials.
- Spinal cord stimulation and deep brain stimulation are major target applications.
- Neuromodulation is the most lucrative sector in the European neurological device market.
Conclusion
- In India, it is estimated that about 30 million people suffer from various forms of neurological diseases and the average prevalence rate is as high as 2,394 patients per 100,000 of the population.
- Current neuromodulation devices cost between $10,000 and $40,000, putting them out of reach for many Indians.