Our research primarily involves projects in these domains:
Bio-active Materials
Among the particular interests of the Department of Neuroengineering in this domain are the topics:
- Development of support technology for materials that stimulate or guide nerve growth.
- Development of support technology and commercialization of neurotransmitter (and similar) compounds that demonstrate therapeutic potential for conditions such as dementia.
The Department of Neuroengineering has embarked upon collaborative efforts (e.g. with INASMET-Tecnalia) in this domain, with a current focus on:
- Therapeutic uses of implantable non-biochemically active materials, such as can be used for invasive brain-computer (BCI) interfaces.
- The use of implantable non-biochemically active materials as a physical means to trigger nerve growth.
NEURO INTERVENTIONS & INTERFACES
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The Department of Neuroengineering is focused on collaborative projects in this domain, with current goals:
- To develop solutions for technological issues that arise during chronic implantation.
- Signal processing close to the source, minimizing the required transmission of information.
- Neuroprosthetic technologies.
The application threshold can be lowered considerably by improving safety and simplicity of the implantation procedure, reducing size and power requirements, by avoiding obstactles to chronic performance, by simplifying bidirectional communication, and by improving bandwidth.
The efforts of the Department of Neuroengineering in this domain are currently focused on:
- Simplification of surgical robot design.
- Robotic training of surgeons for surgical procedures.
- Interface development, data collection and the presentation of information during interaction with surgeons during surgery.
Transdermal/Transcranial Stimulation
Projects pending.
The activities of the Department of Neuroengineering in the domain of non-invasive and invasive brain-machine interfaces currently focus on:
- Applications for cognitive and motor rehabilitation, including tha use of neuro-/bio-feedback.
- Mental state detection for therapeutic (e.g. concentration, stress, insomnia) and augmentative (e.g. attention, working memory, sensory enhancement) applications.
- Improved communication interfaces, including the use of natural channels of communication for brain input and output.
- Improved ease of deployment.
Among the activities of the Department of Neuroengineering in this domain, the current focus is on:
- The development of tools in a Virtual Brain Laboratory. Such tools enable exploratory testing, certain aspects of prototyping, hypothesis testing, and the initial testing of novel procedures to be carried out in virtual scenarios or model conditions that offer complete access to the relevant data.
Among the activities of the Department of Neuroengineering in this domain, the current focus is on:
- Adaptive software, such as software that learns about habits or acquires user models.
The Department of Neuroengineering is active in this domain with a current focus on:
- The analysis of brain-related data (e.g. acquired by imaging techniques, EEG, in-vivo recording, etc.), carrying out tasks such as artifact removal, (semi-)automatic segmentation/tracing, and source separation.
- Fault-tolerant, asynchronous, multi-modal, distributed data collection, monitoring and analysis.
- High-bandwidth data collection and analysis for event detection at run-time.
- Usability of data, such as data presentation for specialist use in conditions of high-rate and high-bandwidth data collection.
In this domain, the Department of Neuroengineering is active in quantitative methods and standardization, and has a strong interest the fundamental issues concerning:
- Diagnosis and monitoring of consciousness for clinical procedures.
- Systems for automated cognitive rehabilitation, such as language rehabilitation after stroke.
- Improvements in health care procedures. This includes addressing problems of staff/shift turn-over, time-savers such as computerized aid to early diagnosis.
- Standardized quantitative measurements.
- Models for use in diagnosis and prognosis.
The Department of Neuroengineering has a strong interest in this domain, with a current focus on:
- Systems and technologies for use in monitoring during pharmacological testing. This includes the development of novel embeddable sensor technology in modalities such as electrical, thermal and mechanical.
Activities of the Department of Neuroengineering in this domain currently are focused on:
- The leveraging of persisting abilities in cognitive functions related to memory, executive function, attention, emotion, perception and motor function.
- Diagnostic and support environments for institutional residents.
- Cognitive support tools for activities of daily life that promote independent living.
- Safety assurance tools.
Neuro-cognitive Devices
The Department of Neuroengineering is developing several projects aimed at personal navigation in this domain.
Neuroengineering & the FIK Research Initiative: The
department of neuroengineering was established within the Health
Division of Fatronik-Tecnalia, which was initiated by funding through
the
FIK Research Initiative. Projects of the department of neuroengineering that fulfill goals of this program address FIK research lines
Dependence Prevention at the Cognitive Level (FIK research area B2) and
Rehabilitation and Compensation of Cognitive Disabilities (FIK research area D).
These projects deal with issues of cognitive impairment and with issues
of cognition in the aging population, especially with regard to
Diagnostics, Cognitive Rehabilitation and Maintenance, and Independence.
