The Neuroengineering group of the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, led by Enric Claverol, participates in this edition presenting the project: Neurochips: connecting neurones & computers. Through this activity, the group would like to show, in an easy way, how microchips can be used to control living neurones activity, and how neurochips are a new tool that will help to understand brain behaviour and develop new drugs against nervous system pathologies.
The Neuroengineering group at IBEC has developed a technology based on plastic microchips and low noise stimulation and amplification electronics in order to control and monitor in vitro living neurones activity. These tools are a revolution in the developing of new drugs against nervous system pathologies, as well as in basic research about brain behaviour. In addition to neurochips, the group will use computers, in both mono-processor and multi-processor configurations, in order to simulate millions of neurones activity and validate through computing the hypotheses generated from experimental data obtained with neurochips. In particular the group is interested in the study of brain structures that provides human beings the capacity of reasoning and memory, cortex and hypocamp.
Furthermore, the group of Robotics and Vision from the Centre of Research on Biomedical Engineering at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, an associated group to IBEC, participates in the exhibition presenting the project Assistant Robot in Surgery. This project shows how using robotic arms as support during surgical operations will enhance quality of the process by increasing surgeon ability
You can find more information at http://www.pcb.ub.cat/recercaendirecte/index.htm
