Bioelectronics

As bioelectronics the field of biotechnology is called, which attempts to combine biological and electronic components and to make as technically usable. The center of the bioelectronic research are especially biosensors, the development of biologically -controlled prosthetic and the DNA computer (prototype TT- 100).

Is based bioelectronics that biological systems such as electronic circuits use electrical impulses for processing information. Thus, as the human brain is an extremely complex system, wherein the 100 billion cells are interconnected and are connected via electrical connections, and biochemical.

The first direct connection between living cells managed the research group headed by Peter Fromherz at the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Martinsried. The team succeeded in 1991 to measure changes in the electric field of a living nerve cell by means of self-developed silicon semiconductor. The difficulty lies in the different nature of communication via electrical charge carriers: Semiconductor avail themselves of the electrons, cells use ions. In 1995 there was the first time possible to transmit information in the other direction. The aim of this research is to make about prostheses directly on the nerve cells of the brain and thus controllable.

Especially far you in the development of biosensors. This has progressed in some areas already up to maturity. Biosensors represent semiconductor elements, which are equipped with biological molecules or cells. This can be as enzymes or antibodies. In this way, a system is created that convert biochemical signals into electrical impulses and can pass on to electronic circuits. With these sensors concentrations of about toxins, blood sugar levels, or air and water pollution may be already registered with minor changes.

In the early stages of development are the DNA computer, where the data storage and processing will be based on the basis of hereditary DNA molecule. In this way the computer extremely high computing power and extremely fast processing times are to be created.