Lifeboat Foundation

Year 2020 face_with_colon_three

An international team of scientists have restored the vision in blind rats using a nanoparticle-based artificial retina prosthesis that can be injected directly into the eye. The scientific advance has been successfully demonstrated for a period of eight months without the need for surgery. While it is still early days for the research, it suggests it might one day be possible to use the conjugated polymer nanoparticle (P3HT-NP) treatment in humans to correct eye problems –ranging from hereditary retinal dystrophies to the incredibly common age-related macular degeneration.

“In our ‘liquid retina device,’ P3HT nanoparticles spread out over the entire subretinal space and promoted light-dependent activation of spared inner retinal neurons, recovering subcortical, cortical and behavioral visual responses,” Fabio Benfenati, research director at the Italian Institute of Technology, told Digital Trends. “We think that P3HT-NPs provide a new avenue in retinal prosthetics.”

Continue reading “Nanotech Injections Restore Vision In Blind Rats” »

In the underground movement known as, people are taking their health into their own hands. Biohacking ranges from people making simple lifestyle changes to extreme body modifications.

One popular form of focuses on nutrigenomics, where biohackers study how the foods they eat affect their genes over time. They believe they can map and track the way their diet affects genetic function. They use dietary restrictions and blood tests, while tracking their moods, energy levels, behaviors, and cognitive abilities.

Continue reading “I got a chip implanted in a biohacking garage” »

Interview with Hugo in Melbourne after the Singularity Summit Australia 2010, conducted by Adam A. Ford.

Terrans, Cyborgs and Cosmists — Varieties of human groups. Species dominance.

Continue reading “Hugo de Garis interview — part 3 — Terrans, Cosmists & Cyborgs 2010-10-09 007-1” »

In this video, I’m arguing that humans should become cyborgs and more about Transhumanism.

We are going to look at a few ideas which embrace the concept of artificial intelligence and cybernetics – the idea that we can fundamentally change the way that we think and interact with the world.

There may be humans who look more or less like us in the year million, but they won’t be alone.

The field of epidermal electronics, or e-tattoos, covers a wide range of flexible and stretchable monitoring gadgets that are wearable directly on the skin. We have covered this area in multiple Nanowerk Spotlights, for instance stick-on epidermal electronics tattoo to measure UV exposure or tattoo-type biosensors based on graphene; and we also have posted a primer on electronic skin.

Taking the concept of e-tattoos a step further, integrating them with triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs), for instance for health monitoring, could lead to next generation wearable nanogenerators and Internet-of-things devices worn directly on and powered by the skin.

In work reported in Advanced Functional Materials (“Triboelectric Nanogenerator Tattoos Enabled by Epidermal Electronic Technologies”), researchers report a tattoo-like TENG (TL-TENG) design with a thickness of tens of micrometers, that can interface with skin without additional adhesive layers, and be used for energy harvesting from daily activities.

Year 2018 face_with_colon_three

A group of researchers used optogenetics and brain implants to make mice ignore sex and food.

Video shows a cyborg mouse ignoring sex and food as it obeys humans’ navigation commands.

Human-robot hybrids are advancing quickly, but the applications aren’t just for complete synthetic humans. There’s a lot we can learn about ourselves in the process.

Hosted by: Hank Green.

Continue reading “Why Scientists are Giving Robots Human Muscles” »