A person who was born deaf or lost their hearing later in life can now hear because of a Cochlear Implant. A person with Parkinson’s disease who lost the ability to control their muscles or someone with epilepsy whose brain suddenly goes into an overdrive state, can regain normal function because of Deep Brain Stimulation. A person who has lost sight from a progressive disease can see again because of a Bionic Eye. A person with constant pain in their body, so much that their lives are literally controlled by it can lead a normal life because of Spinal Cord Stimulation. These are technologies that exist today because of engineers such as yourselves.
Welcome to “Bionics and Neuromodulation”. This course will provide you with the appropriate background theory and knowledge of therapeutic bionic devices used to treat a range of disorders such as the ones mentioned above. This course will also provide you with the knowledge of how these devices interact with the human nervous system to induce a therapeutic effect through a process called neuromodulation. By the end of the course you should have a fundamental understanding of the important factors that dictate the success or failure of such devices as well as the important factors surrounding their design. You should also be qualified to advise on the choices available for a given therapeutic application and the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative. Finally, you should also learn how the “biology” i.e. our own bodies interact with these artificial devices and challenges on how to make devices safe and effective. A key element of this course is that you will get to learn first-hand from lecturers who are involved in the research and development of these devices both at UNSW and in the industry sector from two of Australia’s leading companies, Cochlear Limited and Saluda Medical. You will also get to hear views from the end users of some of these devices.
