Researchers at Princeton University have recently created a bionic ear using an off-the-shelf 3D printer. They used cell culture to print the ear, and embedded a copper coil inside the ear, enabling the ear to "listen" to radio frequencies. The technique they used is a new one that may be a new breakthrough in plastic and other re-constructional surgeries, because ear reconstruction has been regarded as one of the hardest problems in these fields. Older techniques involved creating an ear-shaped scaffolding, and depositing cell culture around the scaffolding. This new technique involves printing calf cells (which later turn into cartilage) onto a bare minimum scaffolding made of hydrogel.
Another reason the technique is a breakthrough is that instead of a prosthetic, for the first time, researchers have combined electronics and cells to create a living, electronic appendage. Usually, electronics aren't compatible with the materials that are used by and are byproducts of cells. The researchers avoided this problem by embedding the coil of wire in the hydrogel. The coil currently only detects radio waves, but the team of researchers states that they plan to create future versions that sense sound.
Relevance:
The parts I found most related to a few of our units in biology were the electronics in the ear. The electronics in the ear are connected to electrodes in the brain. Signals from the coil are connected directly to the nervous system, implying that nerves can receive an electrical input from a machine without requiring additional processing. We studied the nervous system as part of our first Human Systems unit, and this device involves replacing natural receptors with electronic/artificial ones, and passing the signals on to neurons.
Source: http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S36/80/19M40/index.xml?section=topstories
What happens if someone is allergic to the materials? Are they out of luck?
ReplyDeleteWell, the two parts that will most likely touch the patient's skin are the hydrogel scaffolding and the cartilage that grows around it. When I googled "cartilage allergy", the only result I got was allergies to ingested shark cartilage, and hydrogel allergies exist, but I've only heard about people being allergic to hydrogel contact lenses. I think in general, allergies towards the two materials are very rare. Something else I found out is that there are some allergies that can be cured by putting drops of fluid under the tongue. The technique is called "Sublingual immunotherapy", if you are interested. The technique might be a procedure allergic patients would be required to go through.
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ReplyDeleteHave they successfully attached the ear to anyone? And if so, did the person hear the as well as someone with a regular ear?
ReplyDeleteThey haven't actually attached the ear to anyone yet, and I think the article says that they haven't done that because of weight problems. Secondly, the ear so far is only meant to pick up radio frequencies, and it won't replace the function of a regular ear just yet.
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