Curtis Cripe is a real pioneer in the world of science. This is because he is involved in neuro-engineering, also known as neural engineering. This is one of the newest branches of science, and he has been at the forefront of it. So just what is neural engineering?
Curtis Cripe Explains Neuro-Engineering
Neural engineering has been recognized as a form of science recently. This is because of the contributions made by clinicians, neuroscientists, and engineers who have worked together to create innovative solutions to the problems that the nervous system, one of the most complex systems of the human body, faces. It is an exciting new field, because it touches on so many subjects.
Neuro-engineers like Curtis have worked at creating interfaces that allow for communication between the human brain and computers, for instance. Mainly, however, the goal of the field is to help patients who have a neurological disorder such as epilepsy, or who have suffered a stroke.
The field is also already maturing, which is shown by the fact that scientists like Curtis are now regularly invited to conferences all over the world. Various papers by neural engineers have now been published as well. As a result of this, however, there is now a real requirement for a definition of what this science really is.
Today, scientists can read the Journal of Neural Engineering. They have created a definition of the science, which states that it is an interdisciplinary field of research that is still in emerging phases. They have stated that the goal is to study neurological functions by combining engineering and neuroscience. Additionally, it aims to solve neurological dysfunction and limitations. As such, it is a rehabilitative science that helps people to have the strongest, most apt nervous system possible. By integrating engineering and neuroscience, the discipline sets itself apart from areas such as the creation of artificial neural networks.
Neural engineering is in the middle of clinical neurology and basic neuroscience. It includes computational, experimental, clinical, theoretical, and applied aspects at the systems, cellular, and molecular level. There is a strong overlap with topics such as neuroprostheses and neuromodulation, but it goes above and beyond that.
The Scope of Neuro-Engineering
Neuro-engineering involves:
- Neural interfacing.
- Brain-computer interfaces.
- Neuro-electronics.
- Neurotechnology.
- Neural prostheses.
- Neuromodulation.
- Neuro-diagnostics.
- Neuro-rehabilitation.
- Neural control.
- Neuromechanical systems.
- Neuro-therapeutics.
- Neuro-informatics.
- Neurorobotics.
- Biological and artificial neural circuits.
- Neuroimaging.
- Neural tissue regeneration.
- Neuromorphic engineering.
- Computational and theoretical neuroscience.
- Neural signal processing.
- Translational neuroscience.
- Systems neuroscience.
- And much more!
The scope and definition of this new and emerging field of science has not yet been fully determine. As engineers and scientists continue to make progress in this field, it will become much more clearly defined. As of yet, however, all that exists is an overview, and an insight on how it is currently understood and where scientists like Curtis Cripe would like it to go. The goal is to improve the quality of life of people with neurological disorders, by enhancing and restoring the way the nervous system functions.