Talk to the Hand: A New Interface for Bionic Limbs
From: Popular Science - 02/24/2011
By: Morgen Peck

Light bridges the communication gap between man and machine.

Previously, scientists surgically connected electrodes to the nervous system,
but they seemed to harm the body’s tissues, making the implant fail within
months. In 2005, scientists discovered that they could stimulate a neuron to
send a message by shining infrared light on it. Last September, DARPA, the
Pentagon’s R&D branch, awarded $4 million to a project led by Southern
Methodist University engineers to attempt to connect nerves to artificial
limbs using fiber optics. 

The team suspects that flexible glass or polymer fiber optics will be more
flesh-friendly than rigid electrodes. In addition, optical fibers transmit
several signals at once, carrying 10 times as much data as their electrical
counterparts. 

Read the entire article at:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-02/talk-hand-new-interface-bionic-limbs

Links:
DARPA Funds Neurophotonics Center to Develop Fiber-Optic Link Between Brain and Prosthetics
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-09/darpa-funds-neurophotonics-center-develop-fiber-optic-interface-nervous-system

DOD, industry fund $5.6 million technology to drive development of advanced prosthetics
http://blog.smu.edu/research/2010/09/optical_interface_for_prosthet.html

Marc Christensen
http://lyle.smu.edu/~mpc/

Related:
DARPA Seeks Prosthetics Directly Controllable through Brain Implants
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-03/darpa-orders-prosthetics-controlled-directly-through-brain-implants

Dean Kamen High-Fives Colbert with Latest Revision of Prosthetic Luke Arm
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2010-04/dean-kamen-demos-robotic-luke-arm-colbert-report

Dexterous New Prosthetic Hands
http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-04/dexterous-new-prosthetic-hands