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Silk-Silicon Implants Could Connect to Your Brain, Enable LED Tattoos

by Peter Mychalcewycz on November 5, 2009 at 07:29 AM

Biology and technology are increasingly crossing paths these days, so it comes as no surprise that researchers have found a way to literally fuse the two, creating implantable technology for the 21st century.

Researchers have developed a new type of super-thin silicon transistor, which can be embedded on a dissolvable silk-based film (pictured). Brian Litt, associate professor of neurology and bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, told Technology Review, "Current medical devices are very limited by the fact that the active electronics have to be 'canned,' or isolated from the body, and are on rigid silicon." These new silicon-silk implants are much easier to place within a body: the silk sheet "melts away," and the transistors are small enough that they don't irritate tissues.

The researchers explained that the strong and flexible material can easily conform to tissue, which could lead the way for deep interaction with the nervous system or other parts of the body. Similarly, LEDs could be embedded in the silk, allowing for a new type of tattoo, like one monitoring blood sugar levels. According to a report published in the Applied Physics Letters journal, the researchers found that these electronics could be implanted into animals with no harmful side effects.

Sci-fi writer William Gibson may have been on to something: cybernetic enhancements may be here sooner rather than later. [from: Technology Review]

Tags: implant, neurology, research, science, silicone, top

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