Question: could you tell us in some of the things you are working on in more detail

Christopher Bullock answered on 10 Jun 2017:

I can try, although the complexity can be a bit difficult to convey.

Just recently I have been working on creating a new material which is graphene-based (I’m afraid I can’t say too much as we are in the process of applying for a patent on it). We have been coating this material onto different types of neuroelectrodes. These are devices that connect electronics to the brain and other nerves in the body and are used for stimulating and measuring the electrical responses of the nerves. We can use these to do one of several things:
1. We can convey information directly to the brain by stimulating the nerves. This is how artificial eyes and ears work for example.
2. Certain diseases (such as Parkinson’s) are treated by electrically stimulating certain parts of the brain.
3. By measuring the electrical activity of the brain it is possible to diagnose certain diseases and can be used to help our understanding of how the brain works.
4. We can combine all of these to allow two-way communication between the brain and electronics, these are called Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) and will eventually lead to robotic arms that your thoughts control and that can feel, just like a real hand. This is the future of prosthetics.

Specifically, the material we have created offers improved electrical properties and long-term stability compared to the materials currently available. In terms of their biological effects, they are really mild to the nerve cells and so are safe to be put inside the human body. This is not true for metals, for example. In effect, this will allow us to make smaller and longer-lasting devices to be implanted into the brain.