 |
Bionic Ear 3D Printed
A group of Princeton scientists have created a bionic ear printed with 3D printer technology. The ear is made from bovine cells mixed with a liquid gel to make it a living, biological material. In addition, tiny particles of silver are added to create a coiled antenna capable of detecting radio waves that a normal ear can’t.
(Bionic ears via 3D printer)
The finished ear consists of a coiled antenna inside a cartilage structure. Two wires lead from the base of the ear and wind around a helical "cochlea" — the part of the ear that senses sound — which can connect to electrodes. Although [Michael McAlpine, an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton] cautions that further work and extensive testing would need to be done before the technology could be used on a patient, he said the ear in principle could be used to restore or enhance human hearing. He said electrical signals produced by the ear could be connected to a patient's nerve endings, similar to a hearing aid. The current system receives radio waves, but he said the research team plans to incorporate other materials, such as pressure-sensitive electronic sensors, to enable the ear to register acoustic sounds.
Fans of the 1974-78 series The Six Million Dollar Man of course recall the bionic ear that amplified sounds, which was part of the feature set of Jamie Sommers, The Bionic Woman (spun off 1976-78). Note in the pictures shown below the amazing special effects work used in creating the amazing bionic ear.
(Jamie Sommers uses bionic hearing)
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 7/16/2013)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Medical ")
Neural Implant To Treat Memory Loss
'You've got remote storage. How regular is the update?'- Richard Morgan, 2003.
The Claustrum - The Brain's On Off Switch?
'All I have to do is move this switch and he'll recover consciousness...'- John Brunner, 1976.
Beating Mini-Heart Grown In Lab
'Runciter's body contained a dozen artiforgs...'- Philip K. Dick, 1969.
An 'OFF' Switch For The Brain
'Yes, sir, he's status go.'- John Brunner, 1975.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Current News
Monsieur Bartending Robot
'He poured the liquids into his maw...'
Cities Detect Gunfire Acoustics With ShotSpotter
'Sound trackers on the roof...'
Cruise Automation's 'Highway Autopilot' For $10K
'It cut her out of the stream of vehicles and reduced the speed of her car...'
Pengheng Space Capsule Hotel Staffed Entirely By Robots
'A planet-wide chain of hotels that specialized in non-human service.'
Electric Bacteria That Live On Pure Energy
'April 5, 1977; that was the night the waveries came.'
EXACTO Smart Bullet From DARPA
Nicely visualized in what 1984 movie?
Neural Implant To Treat Memory Loss
'You've got remote storage. How regular is the update?'
MIT's Shape-Shifting Robot Materials
The T-100, an advanced prototype, is made of liquid metal. Not quite ready.
LS3 AlphaDog Robot Marine Corps Video
'He admired the fast-plodding, articulated legs, so necessary since roads had degenerated...'
Vantablack Is Blacker Than Your Black
'Well, we have a black coating now that’s ninety-nine percent absorptive...'
Remotely Operated Gardening Rover - Student's Space Agricultural Robot
'There were things growing all over the place, not just in some domed enclosures blasted some millions of miles out in to space.'
Revisiting A Cloud City On Venus
Lando Calrissian, are you still available?
'Windowless Cockpit' Like Star Trek's Patent Applied For
Mr. Sulu, take us out.
'No Man's Sky' - The Matrix Is Almost Ready
Ready for an adventure, Neo?
The Claustrum - The Brain's On Off Switch?
'All I have to do is move this switch and he'll recover consciousness...'
Haptic Gloves Teach Braille Without Effort
'Jenkins bit his lip... [at] the sensation of having his fingers manipulated by the gauntlets he wore.'
