在日前舉行的《Design West》大會上，美國麻省理工學(xué)院(MIT) Media Lab生物機電工程研究所主任賀爾(Hugh Herr)強調(diào)，結(jié)合生物與機電等先進技術(shù)可望實現(xiàn)人體修復(fù)與改善的未來愿景──目前身障者面臨的種種問題持續(xù)存在都是因為現(xiàn)有技術(shù)落后所致，他預(yù)計在本世紀結(jié)束前，可望透過先進的生物機電技術(shù)徹底解決身障的問題。 Hugh Herr本身就是一位雙腿截肢者。他在《Design West》的專題演講中強調(diào)，透過先進科技的能力，可讓身體的傷殘部位逐漸愈合與修復(fù)。Herr在生物機電領(lǐng)域長期進行深入的研究，其目標在于協(xié)助失去肢體的人們能夠進行復(fù)健，同時也增強身體的功能。有鑒于日前波士頓發(fā)生爆炸事件后，已經(jīng)造成至少14人被截肢，Herr的這一席談話似乎也格外重要。 Herr強調(diào)，生物機電方面的研究工作并不只適用于身體外表的功能恢復(fù)，同時也能夠應(yīng)用在人腦的認知與情感能力上。Herr以自身為例說明相關(guān)研究的現(xiàn)況與未來愿景。 “我 現(xiàn)在就站在大量的鈦、碳和硅上面”，他卷起了褲管露出了義肢。Herr在1982年的一次登山意外中因凍傷而失去了他的小腿。在那之后，他積極地展開生物機電方面的研究，同時也因應(yīng)自己的需求開發(fā)了更合用的義肢。Herr表示，“最后，我還能攀登得更高，甚至超越了意外發(fā)生前的標準！”

Hugh Herr因凍傷失去了膝蓋以下的雙腿。
RMSesmc

本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 第2頁：光遺傳學(xué)為人腦研究帶來一線曙光 第3頁：生物組織也是高度被看好的研究領(lǐng)域

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{pagination} Herr也看好其它一些具有前途的研究領(lǐng)域，并預(yù)期將會在本世紀對于人類生活情況帶來重要影響。首先是光遺傳學(xué)(optogenetics)，未來將能夠使用電磁刺激人腦的特定區(qū)域，為人腦研究帶來一線曙光。 目前人們對于內(nèi)含數(shù)千種不同細胞以及幾十億個細胞網(wǎng)絡(luò)的人腦結(jié)構(gòu)認識相當(dāng)有限。而透過藥物方式麻醉整個腦部影響認知與情感的作法又經(jīng)常導(dǎo)致始料所未及的后果，他說。 由于能夠使用轉(zhuǎn)基因修復(fù)方式增加腦細胞的光敏感性，可讓單一神經(jīng)元被開啟和關(guān)閉。這將有助于人們了解大腦如何運作，同時也是有效修復(fù)認知與情感狀況的重要一步。 Herr表示，從1996年和2005年所做的研究可知，如同以磁場進行腦部深層刺激的這一類技術(shù)，能夠經(jīng)由改變腦部特定區(qū)域的活動，從而緩解個體想要自殺的感覺。 Herr 例舉布朗大學(xué)神經(jīng)科學(xué)系John Donahu與其研究團隊的植入式皮質(zhì)數(shù)組研究──以具有100個觸點的硅芯片連接到大腦特定區(qū)域的神經(jīng)元?！八捎霉鈽丝刂疲⑻峁┓浅：玫?D控 制，”他播放一段視頻，介紹一位遭受到攻擊而嚴重傷及脊髓的病患，失去了頸部以下的移動功能，“神經(jīng)植入展現(xiàn)了大腦具有極強的可塑性，”Herr表示，大 腦具有調(diào)適義肢的能力，并可積極地加以適應(yīng)。 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 第3頁：生物組織也是高度被看好的研究領(lǐng)域

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{pagination} 生物組織也是高度被看好的研究領(lǐng)域──因為肌肉、神經(jīng)和皮膚細胞都能加以生長并 適當(dāng)?shù)馗街诔尚偷牟牧吓c機械結(jié)構(gòu)。Herr舉例說，電子接口理論上應(yīng)可安裝在神經(jīng)殘端旁，以建置一種雙向的外部外圍神經(jīng)接口。透過這種方式，神經(jīng)命令可 傳送至生物機電肢體與關(guān)節(jié)，而重要的反饋感覺也能被投射回神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)中。 而機械化的義肢裝置最好采用機電合一，或者是合成的生物系統(tǒng)，甚至結(jié)合二種方式。工程師將必須考慮哪一種材質(zhì)最好？是皮膚還是聚合物？合金或合成骨？ 組織工程學(xué)還可應(yīng)用于食物生產(chǎn)，Herr說：“透過3D印制食物是一個非常有用的發(fā)展過程?！? 透過生物機電技術(shù)，可望協(xié)助擴展患者截肢的部份，也有助于創(chuàng)造外骨骼。他說，“目前世界上大約有2千萬個截肢患者，正等待更好的技術(shù)來解決他們的問題，還有就是鞋子──在當(dāng)今的時代，我們的鞋子還會讓人穿到腳起水泡，這真是太糟糕了！” 在Herr的論文中提到，針對生物機電領(lǐng)域的研究處處充滿著驚人的材料──如形狀記憶合金與電層壓板，可自適應(yīng)地改變其屬性──它可能創(chuàng)造讓穿戴者更舒適的仿生義肢。不過，首先一定要徹底了解討論中的行為(如步行)如何運作及其控制動態(tài)。 Herr強調(diào)，“世界上并沒有身障的人，只有技術(shù)落后的環(huán)境。預(yù)計在本世紀結(jié)束以前，我們將能透過新科技徹底解決身障者所面臨的問題?！? 本文授權(quán)編譯自EE Times，版權(quán)所有，謝絕轉(zhuǎn)載 編譯：Susan Hong 參考英文原文：DESIGN West keynoter envisions biomechatronic future，by Peter Clarke

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{pagination} DESIGN West keynoter envisions biomechatronic future Peter Clarke SAN JOSE, Calif. – Hugh Herr is director of biomechatronics at the Media Lab at Massachussets Institute of Technology. He also happens to be a double lower-extremity amputee. During a keynote presentation Herr demonstrated for the audience at the DESIGN West exhibition the various ways in which technology has the power to heal and rehabilitate broken bodies. Herr conducts research in this area with a goal of rehabilitating individuals that have lost limbs but also to augment physical capabilities. Herr's talk was especially meaningful after the bombing in Boston that was responsible for 14 people losing limbs. Herr also revealed during his talk that such work does not only apply to physical capability but also to cognitive and emotional abilities. Herr is also a walking illustration of his vision and line of research. "I am standing on a lot of titanium, carbon and silicon," he said with pants rolled up and showing his prosthetic limbs. He lost his lower legs to frostbite in a climbing accident in 1982. Subsequently he was motivated to conduct research in biomechatronics and also developed his own prosthetic adaptions. "Eventually I was able to climb at higher standard than I had before the accident," said Herr. Hugh Herr lost both of his legs below the knee to frostbite. Herr went on to illustrate a number of areas of promising research that he expects will have an effect on the human condition in this century. The first topic was optogenetics where he discussed the ability to use electromagnetic stimulation of specifically selected regions of the brain. Seeing the light The brain is a very poorly understood structure with thousands of different cell types and billions of cells networked together. The pharmacological approaches to cognitive and emotional modification dope the whole brain and frequently produce unintended consequences he said. The ability to use transgenic modification to add light sensitivity to brain cells would then allow individual neurons to be switched on and off. Although far-fetched it would be significant aid to understanding how the brain works, a key step to producing well crafted repairs to cognitive and emotional conditions. What is known, Herr said, from work done in 1996 and 2005 is that such techniques as deep brain stimulation using magnetic fields can relieve suicidal feelings by altering activity in very specific regions of the brain. Herr referenced John Donahue of the Department of Neuroscience at Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island) and his group's work on implanted cortical arrays where slivers of silicon with 100 contacts are attached to neurons in particular region of the brain. "It is used for cursor control and provides very good 2-D control," he said over a video of a patient that had his spinal cord severed by an attacker with a knife and lost all ability to move below the neck. "Neural implants demonstrate the extreme plasticity of the brain," Herr said referring to the brain's ability to accommodate a prosthesis and adapt to it positively. Biological tissues are also highly promising to work with as muscle, nerve and skin cells can each be encouraged to grow and attach to appropriately fashioned materials and mechanical structures. Herr gave the example of electronic interface that could, in theory by sited next to a cut nerve stump to create a bidirectional peripheral nerve interface. In this way the nervous commands can be sent biomechatronic limbs and joints and important feedback sensations can be injected back into the nervous system. Machines could be mechatronic or they could be synthesized biological systems or hybrids of the two. Engineers will need to consider which is best skin or polymer, alloy or synthetic bone. Herr showed a video of a synthesized agglomeration of skin and muscle showed that was effectively a biological machine that swims in sea of its own food; glucose and oxygen. Herr even held out the prospect of tissue engineering that could produce food: "The 3-D printing of food in a very efficient process." And with much of this cross-fertilization definitions become blurred. Biomechatronics can help with the creation of limb extensions and it can also help with the creation of exoskeletons. And what is the difference between an exoskeleton and intelligent clothes. Herr showed examples of clothes that can adapt and move in response to commands or the environment. "There are about 20 million leg and arm amputees in the world -- and then there is the shoe. It's crazy that in this day and age our shoes can still give us blisters," he said. It was Herr's thesis that as the research world is full of amazing materials – such as shape memory alloys and electrolaminates that can adaptively change their properties – it is possible to create bionic prosthetics that better support the wearer. First must come a thorough understanding of the operation and control dynamics of the behavior in question such as walking. "People are not disabled. They are a built environment. In the twilight years of this century we will eliminate disability," Herr concluded.