From Technophobe to Techno-probe

The brain is arguably the most interesting and complex organ of the human body. For centuries its characteristics and behaviour have been studied for explaining the relationship between our thoughts and our actions/interactions. More recently, brain-machine interfaces have been used both to (1) record neural signals from the brain for decoding its behaviour and (2) intervene on its activity for treating neurological diseases. Our work at the Next Generation Neural Interfaces lab focuses on developing such novel neurotechnologies, allowing us to finally understand and communicate with the Brain

If you are one of those people that worry about “what’s in this tomato, I don’t want that in my body” you might have to work on your disgust reflex, as scientists are developing new materials to be placed inside your body for good (reasons). In this talk we’ll go through a journey on what smart materials are and how they can be used in the human body, starting from bone regenerating powders, to self-healing skin and cartilage, finishing with shape-memory stents and foams. Oh, and sensors! So join me for an evening of beer followed by regret followed by “meh, bioengineering will fix me anyway!”