Neural Engineering

Researchers in our biomedical engineering department are teaching a brain that sits in a dish to fly a fighter jet. If that sounds like something straight out of Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory, consider that the brain is actually a collection of neurons taken from a rat and grown over a multi-electrode array.

As the neurons connect with each other and learn to interact, they form a living neural network. Scientists connect the network to a computer running flight-simulation software, and send the dish electrical signals about the simulated plane's flight conditions. The neurons receive and analyze the signals, then send back a response. This changes the flight path and sends new information to the network, prompting it to analyze the new results. Effectively, this loop of feedback lets the network fly the plane. The brain in a dish gives researchers a novel way to observe the computational properties of the brain, and it could lead to major breakthoughs in understanding and treating neural disorders such as epilepsy.

Our electrical engineers are using a slightly unusual approach to helping paralyzed people. Instead of helping patients move to objects, researchers are working on devices to make the objects move to patients. The technology centers around a chip that works directly with the brain. The team uses the chip to give a person control over a robotic arm using brain power alone. These mind-controlled tools have serious potential to help the disabled.

At the far edge of computing research, other electrical engineering faculty are working on computing systems inspired by human brains. The systems use electrical impulses organized relative to each other in time to do information processing.

By studying how the brain handles speech signal processing, UF engineers have been able to develop a tool that will help hearing aid technology by making speech more intelligible.

UF neural engineers helped NASA develop system controllers for the LoFlyte unmanned, jet-powered hypersonic aerial vehicle.