Bioness's Tom LeBlanc on rehabilitating hand weakness or paralysis
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Release Date: 09/06/2023
Shelley Fried Discusses Retinal Prostheses and Non-Contact Neuronal Stimulation
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Dr. Shelley Fried is an associate professor at , the teaching hospital to Harvard Medical School. His work involves retinal prostheses and using electromagnetic fields to stimulate neurons. In this episode, he discusses these fields of research, as well as goals and challenges with each of them. Top three takeaways: The main challenge with current retinal prostheses is that the visual acuity it provides is so poor that it cannot be meaningfully used for most daily applications, so there is a need for a narrower and more specific region of stimulation within the retina. Non-contact magnetic...
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Robert Riener Discusses the Cybathlon for Disabled People to Compete in Athletic Events
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Dr. Robert Riener is a professor at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. His research involves exoskeletons, brain-computer interfaces, and EEG. He is also in charge of running the in ETH Zurich, which is an Olympic-like event where patients with disabilities compete, using assistive robotic devices. In this episode, he discusses the Cybathlon, its events, and its goals and purpose. Top three takeaways: The Cybathlon is a major athletic competition where the participants use assistive robotic devices and prosthetics to compete in the events, which are centered around daily life activities. The main...
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Andrew Wilder Discusses the Projected Plans of Ripple Neuro Over the Next Decade
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Dr. Andrew Wilder is the CEO of , a medical device company which specializes in neural interface technology and neuroprosthetics. In this episode, he discusses how the company plans to progress in the next decade, as part of their big 10-year announcement. Top three takeaways: One big advancement that Ripple Neuro is planning to make in the next decade is to hold clinical trials for neuroprosthetic upper limbs, and obtain market clearance for these devices As far as the company itself goes, Ripple Neuro will be restructuring itself over the next decade to accommodate markets for both end...
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Kevin Tracey Discusses the Current Progress in the Field of Bioelectronic Medicine
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Dr. Kevin Tracey is the president and CEO of the . He is very well-known and well-cited for his seminal research within the field of neuromodulation, particularly as it relates to the immune response. In this episode, he discusses the current progress being made in the field of bioelectronic medicine, as well as how it compares to pharmaceutical treatments. Top three takeaways: The power in bioelectronic medicine is in the fact that rather than sending out a drug into the body and hoping it affects the target area, the target is identified and the device is designed and manufactured around...
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Phil Kennedy Discusses Being Implanted with His Own Silent-Speech Neural Recording Device
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Dr. Phil Kennedy is a neurologist who has implanted patients with a neural recording device that can detect firing patterns attributed to certain words. This device can help locked-in patients communicate with others by detecting these firing patterns and outputting words on a computer. He has also had himself implanted with this same device. In this episode, Dr. Kennedy discusses how the device works, and his experience being implanted with his own device. Top three takeaways: Silent speech works by recording neural firing patterns that occur when a patient thinks about a word many...
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Kika Tuff Explains the Power of Effective Compelling Story Telling in Science
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Dr. Kika Tuff is an ecologist and science communicator who founded , an organization which consists of scientists who seek to change the world through powerful storytelling. In this episode, she discusses the power of making compelling stories to spread scientific knowledge and gain a greater audience as a scientist. Top three takeaways: Telling your story effectively can improve your credibility, and can result in an increased following, such as more students and funders for your research Science not communicated is science not done – people have to be able to fully understand what it is...
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Nathan Copeland Shares His Experiences as a Neural Implantee Using a Robotic Arm
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Nathan Copeland is a paraplegic neural implantee who has four Blackrock Utah electrode arrays implanted in his brain. He uses a robotic arm which has a wider functionality than a regular arm, and has even fist bumped the president with it. In this episode, he discusses his experiences being implanted and how using the implants has changed his life. Top three takeaways: When Nathan Copeland met President Obama and had a fist bump with him, he realized that the president was very interested in the science involved in his implants. He was able to connect personally with the president, and this...
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Alie Caldwell Discusses Her YouTube Channel Neuro Transmissions
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Dr. Alie Caldwell, a.k.a. Alie Astrocyte, is a neuroscientist who is well-known for her YouTube channel . In this episode, she discusses the YouTube channel, how it was created, what types of videos the channel produces, how the videos are made, and what she has gained out of it. Top three takeaways: In doing this channel, Alie Caldwell has had to overcome the challenge of maintaining a good work-life balance, since this channel is not her full-time career. In academia, you are taught to feel as though you don’t know anything, which can make people feel hung up on inaccuracies; however, a...
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Announcement: U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Loan Offer
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
We know you are facing challenging times in this current health crisis. The U.S. Small Business Administration is committed to help bring relief to small businesses and nonprofit organizations suffering because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the CARES Act, which provided additional assistance for small business owners and non-profits, including the opportunity to get up to a $10,000 Advance on an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL). This Advance may be available even if your EIDL application was...
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Daniel Powell Discusses an Auricular Nerve Stimulation Device to Treat Opioid Withdrawal
Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions
Daniel Powell is the CEO of , a medical device company based in Texas whose mission is to develop effective, wearable neurostimulation devices. In this episode, he discusses an auricular nerve stimulator to aid in the relief of opioid withdrawal both in adults and newborn infants. Top three takeaways: This auricular, transcutaneous nerve stimulator device works to alleviate opioid withdrawal by stimulating the necessary nerves to kickstart endogenous endorphin release in the brain. A major part of opioid addiction is avoiding withdrawals; opioids chemically replace endorphins and bind to...
info_outlineTom LeBlanc is the Marketing Manager at Bioness, a neuroprosthetics and neural rehabilitation technology company born out of the Alfred E. Mann Foundation. Let’s listen in on his interview. He has several years of experience in marketing and communications within Bioness. Prior to joining them he was in the entertainment industry with the likes of Disney and Warner Bros. He holds an MBA from Pepperdine University. Let’s listen to our conversation with him.
Takeaway: Functional electrical stimulation can be used as a neuroprosthetic for everyday tasks or as a rehabilitation device to gain voluntary movement.
[0:00] Ladan introduces the episode with an interview accompanied by Jen French of Neurotech Reports with Tom LeBlanc from Bioness on the exhibitor floor at RehabWeek 2019.
[0:58] Tom introduces himself and his role in Bioness.
[1:08] LeBlanc discusses the legacy Bioness device, the H200, for upper extremity functional electrical stimulation and the target populations. The device has various programs.
[3:05] We move our discussion to the lower extremity device, the L300. LeBlanc describes the devices and the product extensions. It uses functional electrical stimulation with imbedded sensors and smart algorithms.