Artificial augmentations and replacement parts enable our friends, family and strangers to regain lost capabilities or obtain new ones.
It is estimated that around 5% of people in industrialised countries have had a medical device implanted. Due to advances in microelectronics, biotechnology and materials, some implantable medical devices such as pacemakers have become smaller. This has a number of benefits, including neater incisions during surgery and a longer replacement timetable thanks to high-power batteries. Despite shrinking in size, the impact of implants continues to grow.
Implants for diagnosis
Implantable diagnostic devices have an enormous number of applications, from reducing the risk of complications in surgery to pinpointing the presence of cancerous tissue. Implantable loop recorders placed under the chest skin picks up electrical signals from the heart, which help doctors identify abnormal heart rhythms.
Last year, a thin graphene-based brain implant developed by INBRAIN...
