US: Genetic engineering was used by the researchers to express a special heat-sensitive ion channel in neurons that cause flies to partially spread their wings.
In an interesting development, a group of researchers has created wireless technology to remotely activate specific brain circuits in fruit flies in just one second.
In a published demonstration in Nature Materials, researchers from Rice, Duke University, Brown University and Baylor College of Medicine used magnetic signals to activate targeted neurons that controlled freely moving fruit flies' body position in an enclosure.
Robinson, who is also a member of Rice's Neuroengineering Initiative, added, 'Remote control of selected neural circuits with magnetic fields is somewhat of a holy grail for neurotechnologies. Our work takes an important step toward that goal because it increases the speed of remote magnetic control, making it closer to the natural speed of the brain.'
Further adding, he said, "This new technology activates neural circuits about 50 times faster than the best previously demonstrated technology for magnetic stimulation of genetically defined neurons."
How was this possible'
Robinson shared that this development was really a team effort of world-class scientists as experts from genetic engineering, nanotechnology and electrical engineering came together to bring this idea into existence.
Genetic engineering was used by the researchers to express a special heat-sensitive ion channel in neurons that cause flies to partially spread their wings, a common mating gesture. The researchers then injected magnetic nanoparticles that could be heated with an applied magnetic field. In order to activate the neurons and heat the nanoparticles, the researchers kept changing the magnet's field in a specified way.
An analysis of video from the experiments showed that within approximately half a second of the change in the magnetic field, flies with the genetic modifications showed the wing-spread posture.
Technology is the result of accumulated knowledge and application of skills, methods, and processes used in industrial production and scientific research. Technology is attached to the operation of all machines, or without detailed knowledge of their function, for the intended purpose of an organization. Systems operate by obtaining an input, altering this input through what is known as a process, and then producing an outcome that achieves the intended purpose of the system.
The earliest and simplest form of technology is the development of knowledge that leads to the application of basic tools. The prehistoric invention of shaped stone tools and the discovery of how to control fire increased the sources of food that were available to human beings. The invention of the wheel led to the travelling technologies that helped humans to further increase the yield of food production, travel in less time, and exchange information and raw materials faster. Humanity then progressed to the development of the printing press, the telephone, the computer, and then the internet.
Artificial intelligence has been used for a variety of purposes, including personal assistants in a smart phone, the first of which was Siri, released in the iPhone 4S in 2011 by Apple.[77] Some believe that the future of robotics will involve a 'greater than human non-biological intelligence.'[78] This concept can be compared to that of a 'rogue AI,' artificial intelligence that has gained self-awareness, and tries to eradicate humanity. Others believe that the future will involve AI servants creating an easy and effortless life for humankind, where robots have become the primary work force
Robinson also believed that this ability to activate genetically targeted cells at precise times could be a powerful tool for studying the brain, treating disease and developing direct brain-machine communication technology in the coming future.
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