Center for Extreme Bionics

The Center for Extreme Bionics, which will draw on the Media Lab’s strengths in synthetic neurobiology and biomechatronics, along with the MIT Langer Lab’s pioneering work in biotechnology and medical devices, to achieve radical advancements in the rapidly evolving field of bionics–work that aims to repair or even eradicate serious physical and mental impairments such as dementia, Parkinson’s, or limb loss. With these added resources -- both intellectural and financial -- the Center will be uniquely positioned to ahieve radical advancements in the rapidly evoling field of bionics.

Half of the world's population currently suffers from some form of physical or neurological disability. At some point in our lives, it is all too likely that a family member or friend will be struck by a limiting or incapacitating condition, from dementia, to the loss of a limb, to a debilitating disease such as Parkinson's. Today we acknowledge–and even "accept"–serious physical and mental impairments as inherent to the human condition. But must these conditions be accepted as "normal"? What if, instead, through the invention and deployment of novel technologies, we could control biological processes within the body in order to repair or even eradicate them? What if there were no such thing as human disability? These questions drive the work of Media Lab faculty members Hugh Herr and Ed Boyden, and MIT Institute Professor Robert Langer, and what has led them and the MIT Media Lab to propose the establishment of a new Center for Extreme Bionics. This dynamic new interdisciplinary organization will draw on the existing strengths of research in synthetic neurobiology, biomechatronics, and biomaterials, combined with enhanced capabilities for design development and prototyping.

BIOMECHATRONIC REPAIR:

Program I:Bi-Directional Central Neural Interface ($15M) -- In order to help the more than one billion people worldwidewho suffer from brain disorders, Center investigators willadvance novel devices that can serve as co-processors forthe human mind. These may include invasive solutions (forexample, implants) to provide extremely precise brain inter-faces (in cases where incapacitating conditions would other-wise alter lifespan or identity), as well as non-invasive solutionsfor people with mild conditions. Such bionic interfaces will beable to record millisecond-time-scale activity from the brain,compute the information that is needed by the brain, and thendeliver 3D targeted energy to the brain in order to repair inter-nal information processing. Implant technology will comprise a3D array of neural recording devices capable of recording thou-sands of times more neurons than any previous Implant; a cus-tom computer capable of the high-speed, real-time processingrequired for computing information needed by the brain: and a3D array of stimulators capable of playing back information intothe brain. Across a five-year Center program, investigators willdesign and implement these devices, perform tests in animalmodels, and then pursue clinical testing in humans.

Program II:Bi-Directional Peripheral Neural Interface ($15M) -- Center researchers will also explore bionic interventions totreat those suffering from neuromechanical pathologies, suchas amputation, stroke, or spinal cord injury. They will developan advanced, Implantable micro-channel array: a safe, reliable,and highly dense neural interface to the peripheral nervoussystem. Using nerve growth factors and target muscle/skinend-organ cells, nerve regenerative growth through micro-channels (size -400 microns) will be achieved, and sensing andstimulation within each channel will enable bi-directional signal-ing between the human peripheral system and any externalbionic device or adjacent body part. For example, to controlan external bionic arm or leg, sensory information from thebionic limb will be communicated to a nerve through electrodestimulations within sensory micro-channels. Such feedback willinform motor commands descending from the spinal cord that,in turn, will be recorded within motor micro-channels. The re-cordings will be sent wireiessly to external actuators as controlcommands to move and stiffen the bionic limb. Implantable mi-cro-channel arrays can also be used to assist spinal cord lesionpatients, stroke patients, and others with motor impairmentdisabilities: sensory information from the affected biological limb will be recorded within an implanted micro-channel arrayconnecting upper and lower nerve sections. Signals will then beemployed in an artificial feedback algorithm to apply electricalmuscle activations to restore movement to a paralyzed limb.Across a five-year Center program, investigators will designand implement the micro-channel array with supporting low-power implantable electronics, perform tests in animal models,and then pursue clinical trials in humans.

Program Ill:Bionic Body Parts ($15M) -- To restore normal movement patterns to people without limbs,or with severely Impaired biological limbs, Center investigatorswill advance the core science and technology behind bioniclimbs that have the same shape, mass, and dynamics as theirbiological counterparts. These bionic limbs will attach to thehuman body through a bionic skin substrate rich with low-pow-er eiectromyographic, pressure. and shape sensors powered bythe wearer's own body heat. For comfortable mechanical sup-port and load transfer between the human body and the bionicstructure, the bionic skin will adapt its mechanical impedancespatially and temporally to reflect the underlying anatomy ofthe human wearer. For bionic limb motility, synthetic muscle-tendon actuators will be advanced with optimized transverseflux motor topologies for quiet, efficient, high-torque opera-tion. Normal manipulation and walking control will be achievedthrough a biophysicaily based neuromechanioal controlframework where modeled spinal reflexes are modulated usingsensed efferent motor commands recorded from nerve micro-channel arrays imbedded throughout the peripheral system,or 3D central brain arrays of neural recording. Across a five-year Center program. investigators will design and implementthese advanced bionic appendages with comprehensive testevaluations on humans.

REGENERATIVE REPAIR:

Program IV:Brain and Body Cell Constructions ($15M) -- Brain: Center investigators are devising new strategies forbuilding brains from scratch, in a dish. These brains will be 3D,with accurate cell types, and with realistic wiring and activ-ity. In the short term, these mini-brains will be of use to studyhow the brain wires up. In addition, by creating mini-brainswith the same genome as a specific human patient (by us-ing patient-derived stem cells), researchers will also be ableto classify brain disorders by computational phenotype, anddevelop personalized medicine for brain disorders (by testingdrugs on the mini-brain corresponding to a specific human, toidentify the best candidates before going into the patient). Inthe long term, of course, these mini-brains may provide newreplacement parts for the brain, with the ability to compute ina similar fashion as the live brain, interface to the natural brain,and compute similarly to the human brain with low power andhigh parallelism. We will design and implement 3D brain tissues,devise personalized medicine protocols for helping patients,and pursue transplantation of mini-brains into animal modelsof stroke.

Body: In order to address the growing need for novel solutionsto organ failure, Center investigators will design technologies toartificially sustain, augment, and then ultimately replace organs.The first phase requires training intelligent perfusion devices.Connected to tissues and organs via their blood supply, perfu-sion devices can dynamically characterize and respond toneuroendocrine and metabolic changes, thereby sustainingand optimizing biological function indefinitely. In this way, thedevices provide unique insight into the mechanisms underlyingrecalcitrant and debilitating disease. The second phase utilizesperfusion as both a treatment delivery vehicle to eradicateor inoculate against these diseases, and as a platform fordisease-specific prosthetic design. Deriving inspiration fromnature's myriad solutions, the known boundaries betweenbiological and artificial interfaces will be extended, reconstruct-ing organs with biomimetic and biocompatible materials thatwill not only restore but also enhance function. The profoundinsights into the structural and functional relationships oforgans gained through this work will lead to the final phaseof modifying the perfusion technologies into stand-alone bionicdevices that can replace significant functional componentsof biological tissue.