Neural Interface: Frontiers and Applications

This book focuses on the frontiers of neural interface technology, including hardware, software, neural decoding and encoding, control systems, and system integration. It also discusses applications for neuroprosthetics, neural diseases and neurorobotics, and the toolkits for basic neuroscience. A neural interface establishes a direct communication channel with the central or peripheral nervous system (CNS or PNS), and enables the nervous system to interact directly with the external devices. Recent advances in neuroscience and engineering are speeding up neural interface technology, paving the way for assisting, augmenting, repairing or restoring sensorimotor and other cognitive functions impaired due to neurological disease or trauma, and so improving the quality of life of those affected. Neural interfaces are now being explored in applications as diverse as rehabilitation, accessibility, gaming, education, recreation, robotics and human enhancement. Neural interfaces alsorepresent a powerful tool to address fundamental questions in neuroscience. Recent decades have witnessed tremendous advances in the field, with a huge impact not only in the development of neuroprosthetics, but also in our basic understanding of brain function. Neural interface technology can be seen as a bridge across the traditional engineering and basic neuroscience. This book provides researchers, graduate and upper undergraduate students from a wide range of disciplines with a cutting-edge and comprehensive summary of neural interface engineering research.

About the Author

Dr. Xiaoxiang Zheng is a professor at the Qiushi Academy for Advanced Studies, Zhejiang University. She is currently a member of the academic board of Key Laboratory of Biomedical Engineering of Ministry of Education at Zhejiang University and was the director of the College of Biomedical Engineering&Instrument Science, Zhejiang University and executive member of the council of Chinese Society of Biomedical Engineering. Dr. Zheng’s research interests include neural engineering, microcirculation and physiology of cell. She has published more than 200 articles in these fields, over 100 of which are indexed by SCI or EI.