Kee Moon directs SDSU's Engineering Research Center with a goal to perfect brain-controlled bionics.
SDSU student Ahmed Abdi with Kee Moon, Ph.D.
See the complete fall 2012 issue of 360 Magazine
Mechanical engineering professor Kee Moon, Ph.D., leads SDSU’s Engineering Research Center, here he works with colleagues and students to perfect brain-controlled bionics.
Today's prosthetics contain sensors that understand the intentions of the muscles, but tomorrow's versions will read the intentions of the mind, Moon said. Implantable sensors will enable new-generation prosthetics to substitute for damaged or missing nerves by transmitting information between the brain and injured muscles or robotic devices.
To invent brain-controlled sensors, the SDSU researchers will first need to construct a mathematical model of brain function.
"We want to achieve a deep mathematical understanding of how biological systems acquire and process information and use that knowledge to reverse engineer the nervous system's sensorimotor functions," Moon said. "That will allow us to develop engineering models for devices integrated with the body to correct neural deficits and boost neural capabilities."
Eventually, Moon wants to take the research further by creating devices that allow people to accomplish rehabilitation from home or another convenient location and transmit the results electronically to a medical practitioner.
Read more profiles of leadership:
A Prescription for Healthy Families
Greg Talavera, M.D.
Solving Problems with Global Reach
Ramona Perez, Ph.D.
To the Arctic and Beyond
Kimberley Miller
Trailblazers for Future Aztecs
Price Scholars Roberto Carcamo, Itza Perez and Isamaria Cortes
Fairytale Beginning
Hilary Maiberger
Shifting Gears Toward a Greener City
Walter Rosenkranz