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Glucose Powered Fuel Cells to Power Human Brain-Computer Interfaces

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Glucose Powered Fuel Cells to Power Human Brain-Computer Interfaces


Neuro engineers at MIT have created the worlds first implantable energy generator which creates electric power through the glucose sugar found in the cerebrospinal liquid thats found in your mind as well as spinal-cord. Theoretically, this particular energy supply might ultimately generate low-power receptors as well as computer systems which decode your minds action in order to interface with prosthetic arms or legs.
The glucose-powered fuel-cells are designed from platinum and silicon, utilizing regular semiconductor manufacturing procedures. The platinum acts like a catalyst, stripping electrons through from the glucose, much like how aerobic animal cells (ie human cells) strip electrons through glucose with oxygen and enzymes.

fuel cells brain glucose Glucose Powered Fuel Cells to Power Human Brain Computer Interfaces

The fuel-cells only produce a hundred microwatts (i. at the. tenths of the milliwatt), but that is a still a remarkably large amount – it is similar to the actual photo voltaic cell on a common calculator.

Scientists hope that one day the output will be sufficient enough to power more complicated computer systems — or maybe interact directly with neurons inside the mind. MIT scientists are creating glucose-powered fuel-cells that are about 64x64mm (2. 5in) or just a couple millimeters.


This particular breakthrough is actually fascinating for 2 major reasons:
a) The fuel-cells are totally synthetic
b) the fuel-cells can be easily created utilizing decades-old chip manufacturing technologies.

Glucose powered cells have been developed in the past, mainly to energy heart pacemakers, however they utilized natural digestive enzymes that need to be replenished. Platinum on the other hand can continue removing electrons through glucose indefinitely. Platinum also offers additional benefits like being biocompatible and our system doesn’t try to reject it. Our Cerebrospinal fluid is nearly completely without white-blood cells. It is simply the glucose-rich liquid which protects your mind as well as spinal column.

This technology breakthrough may very useful in stem cell science and also be ideally applied to power integrated, ultra-low-power devices that are built inside or on top of the human body to enhance certain functions.





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Stem Cell Remedy Web Forums & Blog was Established to serve as a Resource for Stem Cell Sciences and Application via Cell based therapy. Our mission is to Educate. Knowledge is Power.

Discussion

  1. elber  June 16, 2012

    A new type of fuel cell points to a future where gadgets could be powered by the same fuel as 10 year old kids – sugar!

  2. mati coe  June 18, 2012

    Plasma Membrane

  3. desropperj coorencia  June 19, 2012

    Mitosis – prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase.
    The products are Carbon dioxide Water Energy
    And for the first one yes i think it is cellular respiration

  4. hoyleau  June 20, 2012

    1. lysis
    2. cytoplasm
    3. prokaryote
    4. active
    5. eukaryote

  5. vanworton adelmadis  June 21, 2012

    In which Llama (Meera’s alter ego) displays bad drawing skills and talks about the tiniest living…

  6. aban  June 23, 2012

    Bi-lipid membrane or plasma membrane

  7. mego  June 23, 2012

    i agree, learn to do your own hw
    that is the reason your parent sent you to school

  8. kaman  June 23, 2012

    Who the hell cares?!

  9. toh  June 24, 2012

    interesting concept with the technology, very complex, my question is, what is the technology needed for? or have i misread the irony?

  10. henley kip  June 24, 2012

    My auntie think that she thinks we came from mars coz of the weird shapes that sort of looks like there was earth there. She thinks we muked up that planet and moved to this one. But then u do wander if adam and eve where true would they have been fronm that planet and were told not to say a word of it

  11. ramamadrin  June 25, 2012

    It's wrong. Plain and simple. There's been a lot of research into human vision. The minimum framerate for images to be interpreted by the brain as an object in motion is about 20 Hz. However, at higher Hz, the image will appear to move much more smoothly, up to a limit that varies from person to person, for most up to about 75-130 Hz.

  12. gius trena  June 25, 2012

    Early Milestone Reached In Lab-Engineered Kidney Project

  13. hellar arlow  June 25, 2012

    Fuel cells are an old technology that allows us to change chemical energy directly to electrical energy without using a boiler and a steam engine to drive a generator. They're very expensive and not particularly magical; they don't create any new energy and they don't last very long, either. We mainly use them on spacecraft, which generally have hydrogen tanks available for the fuel. Outside of that, they've proven thoroughly useless.

  14. grigh verty  June 26, 2012

    fuel cell is most efficient, steam engine is least.

    .

  15. collaroyer  June 27, 2012

    Bringing Down the Cost of Fuel Cells

  16. fuyuki alee  June 27, 2012

    Yes….sorta

    There was an episode of mythbuster dedicated to alternative fuels and fuel additives.

    They had an car from the early 80s, which had a carbourator instead of fuel injection. They hooked a hose and nozzle up to a tank of hydrogen gas and blew the gas directly into the carbourator, and the engine ran (they didn't drive it with this rig, but it was able to idle while in park), they had to stop when some excess gas caught on fire and shot flames about 3 feet in the air.

    They didn't test this with a modern fuel-injected car, though.

    They reason that you have to have hydrogen fuel cells is because hydrogen is hard to find. However, by passing electircal currents through water, you can separate the water molecues into hydrogen and oxygen. This is what the fuel cells do.

  17. magsamhamm sore  August 11, 2012

    It's wrong. Plain and simple. There's been a lot of research into human vision. The minimum framerate for images to be interpreted by the brain as an object in motion is about 20 Hz. However, at higher Hz, the image will appear to move much more smoothly, up to a limit that varies from person to person, for most up to about 75-130 Hz.

  18. ness muellupta  August 11, 2012

    Methanol fuel cell startup eyes hybrid marketA fast-growing Silicon Valley start-up firm is aiming to put its methanol-based fuel cells in electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid cars.Oorja Protonics, which sells its fuel cells to Nissan Motor Co, is working to have a product that can be used as a range-extender in pure electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles, Chief Executive Sanjiv Malhotra said in an interview on Friday.

  19. yer gay  August 13, 2012

    "Today’s New York Times has a huge feature on the illicit use of stimulant drugs like Ritalin and pharmaceutical amphetamines in colleges and schools by kids ‘seeking an academic edge’. The piece is written like an exposé but if you know a little about the history of amphetamines, it is also incredibly ironic. The ‘illicit stimulants for study’ situation is a complete replay of what happened with the branded amphetamine benzedrine in the 1930s, as recounted in Nicolas Rasmussen’s brilliant book On Speed: The Many Lives of Amphetamine… …In 1937, none other than the The New York Times ran a story about benzedrine calling it a ‘high octane brain fuel’ and noting that without it the brain ‘does not run on all cylinders’. It was clearly pitched as a cognitive enhancer… So the story isn’t really new but it’s ironic that the New York Times has inadvertently promoted the activity. Again."

  20. choon mannix  August 13, 2012

    Neither of them are "better". The batwolf frames are a but more funky with the single lens design. The fuel cells are a bit more subdued and will match more clothing as they are the tradition dual lens design.

    Hth
    D

  21. Sulung Teguh E  January 23, 2013

    Fat burning furnace is the process where free fatty acids are used for fuel as opposed to glucose (human blood sugar). Fat burning is the correct way to control weight loss

  22. capebethel  January 23, 2013

    Pastor Phil,
    I found an published from Vanderbilt researchers, who give an additional reason for your breathlessness, etc. In fact, their research showed that anemia usually the main problem–in fact, as long as you are drinking sufficient fluids, blood levels remain relatively normal. Here is their quote:
    Once glycogen and fat stores are used up, the body turns amino acids from protein into glucose to supply the brain with energy. Then the fat stores are turned into ketones to supply brain fuel. The body essentially eats away at itself by taking protein from the kidney, liver, and skin.

    There is also a fairly readable and practical on the healthy.net website. Here is the specific address: It was still there just [...]

  23. Ugly Llama  January 26, 2013

    If you go back on the evolutionary tree far enough, eventually reach an ancestor shared by any two given organisms. In a way, everything is a variation on a theme – there are the set of basic genes that are common to many organisms (i.e. your 1000 out of 3000), which would be those found in the common ancestor. The rest of the set eventually became different, or were added to, which is what made them diverge into different species.

  24. all  January 26, 2013

    Intractable parasites made to thrive in human cell culture

  25. rutschum elvi  January 27, 2013

    This is absolutely true. The risks of turning corn crops in Iowa into biofuel instead of human fuel (read, “food”) runs the decided risk of exacerbating the food crisis that is already destroying people in developing countries. I am pretty sure people in Haiti would rather have food than know that my car using unleaded gas.

  26. summerhuynh  January 28, 2013

    Tomorrow is Monday!!! :-( Ugh! School! Does anyone want to be me 2morrow and take the biology quiz on plants and animals cells?

  27. summerhuynh  January 29, 2013

    the membrane is so that its in BOTH plants & animals cells!

  28. cia thomadgle  February 2, 2013

    They said anything yet that sets them from Fuel Cells from Fuel Cell Energy, Inc (FCEL). been selling fuel cells for years – worldwide … but just managed to get on 60 minutes for it.

    The only thing that sets bloom is their backers and that they have solid oxide fuel cells instead of molten carbonate. see regarding price – soon enough. FCEL has solid oxide as well – via their ownership of Versa Power System.

    fuel cell systems come in the 1 MW+ variety so they may be targetting utilities better at this point. The tech is well advanced and evolved thru many iterations.

    The hype is well-deserved. Fuel cells will be big. The unknown is who will make [...]

  29. Medindia Health News  February 3, 2013

    New energy source for future medical implants: Sugar -

  30. bion  February 5, 2013

    you can go to a pool and swim to lose weight. you can burn 500 calories an hour just from swimming. something fun to do outside of the house.

  31. luci piroannard  February 5, 2013

    Either …

    1. he is way taller.
    2. You run
    3. Your not trying hard enough
    4. You smoke and he doesnt
    5. he has really really good shoes and you dont
    6. if you have a coach, dont ever listen to him again, if you are actually doing what he says.
    7. All of the above.

  32. Lee Robinson Petzer  February 5, 2013

    MIT engineers have developed a fuel cell that runs on the same sugar that powers human cells: glucose. This glucose fuel cell could be used to drive highly efficient brain implants of the future, which could help paralyzed patients move their arms and legs again. The fuel cell, described in the journal PLoS ONE, strips electrons from glucose molecules to create a small electric current…

  33. Nikki  February 5, 2013

    While Roe v. Wade made legal in every state, some states have extremely restrictive laws on They require a woman to jump through a variety of legal hoops, such as requiring a 24 hour waiting period between one appointment and actually getting the While the lawmakers for such rules always claim to have noble intentions, in real life, this means that a woman who must travel to a clinic will incur another bills for the hotel and meals and such.

    Actually performing an is really pretty easy.The hard bit is to do it safely, and have access to the modern medical supplies. I can perform an with a stick, and even likely that the woman would live through it. However, [...]

  34. elvey marque  February 5, 2013

    You did include some context, which is excellent, but what do you mean with "unique ideas"? How to do it, or non-standard ways of doing it, or what?

    EDIT:
    Use perspex, or try using plastic bags and them together using a glue gun. Make the cell matrix out of gelatin and water, ping pong balls for a nucleus, and just go from there.

  35. lapp  February 7, 2013

    While there’s no denying that implantable medical devices such as pacemakers save peoples’ lives, powering those implants is still a tricky business. The batteries in a standard pacemaker, for instance, are said to last for about eight years – after that, surgery is required to access the device. Implants such as pumps are often powered by batteries that can be recharged from outside the body, but these require a power cord that protrudes through the patient’s skin, and that keeps them from being able to swim or bathe. Now, however, scientists at Germany’s University of Freiburg are developing biological fuel cells, that could draw power for implants from the patient’s own blood sugar… Continue Reading Implants could be powered by [...]

  36. mai  February 10, 2013

    ‘I cross train, toss brain fuel on hot tracks. Burn in intelligent infernos, you got that?’ – ‘I’m Innocent’ off “Murs for President”

  37. shidrydeni nuttara  February 11, 2013

    Implantable Fuel Cell Built At MIT Could Power Neural Prosthetics That Help Patients Regain Control Of Limbs -

  38. gente  February 11, 2013

    Lyosomes are only found in plant cells but ribosomes are found plant AND animals cells.

  39. IncentIntel  February 11, 2013

    High Performance Human Fuel: David Storke at Lunch with DriveThruHR – Feb 05,2013 (via

  40. BLouis79  February 12, 2013

    B Louis, why I find explanation, that the warming is from human use of energy, totally unconvincing.

    In the BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2004, I find the following world energy consumption including all sources (fossil fuels, hydroelectric, nuclear) in Tonnes of Oil Equivalent (TOE)

    9.7E+09: TOE for world, 2003

    From the same source, the energy content of a TOE is:

    4.2E+10: joules/TOE

    Multiplying these gives us a total of:

    4.1E+20: joules/yr from human fuel use.

    Since a watt is a joule/second, dividing joules/year by the number of seconds in a year gives us:

    1.3E+13: watts

    And then we have the area of the

    5.1E+14: sq. metres planetary surface

    Dividing one by the other, we get:

    0.03: W/m2 [...]

  41. dour  February 14, 2013

    If Mr. Gross-Disgusting-Perv has smooth and well conditioned nether-hair, it means probably shampooing it, so his, uh, livestock probably be present.

    The fact the using sand, though, suggests deliberate deception, since not a natural secretion of the human body and would have to be added to the sample deliberately. afraid the days when you could trust your ecto-parasite purveyor have gone the way of the hula-hoop.

    By the way, if animal cells have walls, what do they have?

  42. cocke cora  February 16, 2013

    no. People >>> animals >>> cells >>> amoebas >>> bacteria >>> germs >>> Christopher Paul Nehasil.

  43. Test – How long do you have before you die? – The Blogs at HowStuffWorks  February 19, 2013

    I agree with this why it is adivisable to do some physical exercises if you want to improve your memory power. Also, forget this:

    Carbohydrates are good for the brain, because they contain Glucose which are known as the brain fuel. It gives off energy for us to concentrate, remember, learn, and other activities.

    Then your protein. Amino acids are obtained from protein. Neurotransmitters need those amino acids to relay or become a messenger from one nerve cell to another. A high protein meal can make us feel energized because it increases the tyrosine levels of our brain and blood. Tyrosine and tryptophan are some of the different types of amino acids. And because tyrosine can make us become more [...]

  44. LostOnTheLine  February 19, 2013

    maybe you overdose, idiot

  45. mara sida  February 21, 2013

    Finally, an online version of Richard Welchs amazing brain training, called Zox Pro! Lowest price ever offered. Discover mental photography, go way beyond speed reading american speed reading corporation brain average reading speed best speed reading course best speed reading software brain brain age brain age online brain brain and memory fitness trainer brain booster brain dream brain dreams brain exercise games brain exercises brain fitness brain fitness exercises brain fitness program brain fitness programs brain fitness training brain food brain glucose brain guide brain herb brain herb memory brain improvement brain info brain map brain meaning brain memory brain power brain quiz brain summary brain teasers brain test brain train brain training brain training exercises brain workout cd speed [...]

  46. morill anner  February 21, 2013

    Overdosing on cups of tea, brain fuel at its finest.

  47. graak rockeadlan  February 22, 2013

    Chris,

    Uranium 235 supplies at current levels of production are estimated to peak in 50 to 100 years. If you raise the price of production from the current $65 US a pound to $1000 a pound you can extract from sea water and the supply is endless. You can also breed and use plutonium from the enormous stock piles of depleted uranium sitting around the world. Everyone stopped prospecting for the stuff in the The nuclear fuel of the future is not U235 but Th232. This element is roughly as abundant as lead, produces little if any transuranic waste and the products that it does produce are decayed to background in less than 500 years. Look up Thorium Power website, [...]

  48. KermitTheeDog  February 23, 2013

    Vet called Mom late last night and said they found red blood cells, glucose, & ketones in mah pees. Gotta go back in fur bloodwork.

  49. NatRevNeph  February 26, 2013

    Reviews on stem cells, glucose-lowering agents dialysis pts, syndrome, & rituximab in nephrotic syndrome ($)

  50. ThatBiGChooch  February 27, 2013

    feed em too much and the will get sick..
    stick to feeding him/her steaks and hotdogs.

  51. blasherosa  February 27, 2013

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1334642/Feeling-angry-Why-spoonful-sugar-sweetens-mood.html
    "Feeling angry? Why a spoonful of sugar sweetens your mood

    Researchers believe the effect is caused by glucose, a simple sugar found in the bloodstream that provides energy for the brain."

  52. spedr faussle  February 28, 2013

    Yes, vee…

    right.

    Truth is not static. As soon as the Vessel was there to receive, Truth was. One has to look no than a human cell, or an egg, to view the perfection of the Perfect Mind. that the vast waves of humanity that came and went had their Searchers and their Voices speaking truth.

    For me, the Journey proceeds…

  53. sciencestage.com newshub  March 1, 2013

    Inflammation Determines the Pro-Adhesive of High Extracellular D-Glucose in Human Endothelial Cells In Vitro and Rat Microvessels In Vivo -

  54. ChanTweeters  March 5, 2013

    FabLifeLabs? 3D human cell printer – DIY Bioprinter Is Born – MIT Technology Review

  55. Just Helping  March 7, 2013

    They are called "photo-voltaic cells". Basically, they are a silicon junction similar to a semiconductor diode. This junction will generate a small current when exposed to light.

    more commonly called solar cells for marketing, as that is more understandable terminology.

  56. HealthCare24  March 8, 2013

    Tiny bits of genetic material, called microRNAs, can make their way from the food you eat into your blood stream, and change how your genes are expressed, according to a new study. A team of Chinese scientists found tiny bits of white rice microRNA floating around in people’s blood after a meal. When they looked at what was happening on a cellular level, they found that the microRNAs were changing gene expression, decreasing levels of a receptor that filters out LDL (bad) cholesterol. When the scientists gave mice both rice and a chemical to block the microRNAs, their levels of that receptor returned to normal—showing that the microRNAs weren’t just swimming through the blood stream, but acting on genes in [...]

  57. leber tsungpenni  March 9, 2013

    It is the reason life began, learn it! :)

  58. halmi  March 9, 2013

    Also would the photo-voltaic cell plant set to take off in 2010 have any bearing on the success of the scrip ?

  59. rom  March 10, 2013

    Hydrogen fuel cells highlighted in new auto industry

  60. Buggz79  March 11, 2013

    “We do good for people because we love being thanked and congratulated. It’s kinda like a human fuel. ” -GGG

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