ES6: Can we rebuild them? bionics beyond 2010

The terms “bionics” and “neuroprosthesis” understandably capture the engineers´ imagination. Oftentimes, however, this fascination results more from science fiction than actual facts on the reality of unmet clinical needs and the real technical issues of designing a bionic system. Yet not all work in this field is sci-fi, and engineers working with clinical researchers and scientists have realized several milestones in the treatment of chronic diseases. Perhaps the most successful example of a bionic system is the cochlear prosthesis, which has helped restore a measure of hearing in over 150,000 patients, so far. Another active field is neuromodulation, where neurostimulators targeting specific neural circuits are being applied as a therapy for a variety of diseases including Parkinson´s disease, incontinence, and obsessive compulsive disorder. Clearly, in the proper context, interfacing silicon circuits to the patients´ neural circuits may achieve profound effects.