That creepy alien looking thing is a biological circuit. It can measure the signal that nerve cells make.
The thick, straight lines are the conducting part of the circuit. The bright green parts are where the research team has grown nerve cells. They look green because they are fluorescing, kind of like glow-in-the-dark stickers.
Measuring the signal from a nerve cell is old news. HOWEVER since this device is made of carbon, it could be implanted into a human body. This form of carbon is known as graphene. It is a transparent, flexible, and about one or two atoms thick. It also happens to be a better conductor than any metal.
So these guys invented a circuit that you could put inside your body to read what's going on in your nervous system. The circuit will bend as you move. And since its not made of silicone or metal, your immune system won't attack it. That is pretty huge.
But let's not get carried away. This could not read your mind. It could not send a phone call directly to your brain. We don't know enough about the brain to be able to do that... yet. And we are far far away from actually putting this into somebody. The FDA will need to get involved, so think 20-50 years.
But things made like this COULD read the signals that your brain is sending to your arms or your legs. This research will help amputees and people with spinal cord injuries by allowing them to control robotic arms and legs.
So remember folks, treat our disabled friends kindly. Some day, they may look like this.
Story on physorg. And the paper itself.
