Digital Tbucket Tank (DTT)

Star Trek Today: Remote and Rechargeable Brain Control Chip

Researchers at the Korea Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (KAIST) have succeeded in reprogramming the behavior of laboratory rats via a smartphone app and thus, as the university press release says, "Real-time brain controlAnd because the implant can be remotely charged, laboratory animals and possibly human patients will not need surgery in the future to replace dead batteries or bulky external devices to power the implants.

Image source: Pixabay


Reference to Star Trek Episode: Deep Space Nine: Season 3 / Episode 59 - Spark of Life / Life Support

"In the meantime, one half of Bareils' brain has been damaged and Bashir reluctantly replaces it with an implant. This stabilizes Bareil's mind, but his personality has changed significantly. Nevertheless, with his help the negotiations can still be brought to a successful conclusion. Turrel and Winn sign the peace treaty. "


In this particular test, researchers at KAIST used the implant to block cocaine-induced behaviors in rats that they had previously injected with the drug. The technology can be used in a wide variety of implants and medical devices. The functioning of the implants is based on the Optogenetics, a technique that has developed rapidly in recent years to manipulate neuronal activity using light, to which proteins in the living body react.



"We believe the same technology can be applied to many types of implants, including deep brain stimulators and cardiac and gastric pacemakers," research group leader Jae-Woong Jeon wrote in a press release about the study. The publication highlights the effectiveness of the optogenetic brain stimulation also highlights the convenience and non-invasiveness of the cordless power system, the development of which is a great achievement in itself.