Method and apparatus for enhancing nervous function
Disclosed is a method for interacting with the nervous system. The method includes detecting signals associated with a biological function at one or more sensors. It also includes processing the signals to create a representation thereof, delivering effector responses based on the representations, and controlling a physical process.
1. A method for interacting with the nervous system, the method comprising:
detecting signals of normal and abnormal function of a body function of an individual at one or more sensors, without requiring knowledge of the precise neurophysiological mapping of the signals;
mathematically processing said signals;
associating said processed signals to create a symbolic representation specific to the body function of the individual; and
delivering effector responses based on the representation in order to enhance or reinstate the body function.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said detecting and said delivering involve different regions of the human body.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said reinstating comprises treating a biological disease or condition.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said enhancing a body function includes using an external machine.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein said body function is selected from the group consisting of visual function, visual disease progression, mood, alertness, detecting traumatic brain injury, learning how to operate machinery, exercise, cardiac electrical function, cardiac mechanical function, detecting subclinical seizure, complex sensory-motor activities and combinations thereof.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said one or more sensors are selected from the group consisting of:
(i) solid physical sensors selected from the group consisting of FINE, ECG-electrical sensors, EEG-electrical sensors and combinations thereof,
(ii) non-solid physical sensors selected from the group consisting of electrostatic creams, piezoelectric film sensors, printed circuit sensors, photosensitive film, thermosensitive film and combinations thereof,
(iii) external-oriented sensors selected from the group consisting of video sensors, infrared sensors, temperature sensors, gas sensors and combinations thereof, and
(iv) combinations thereof.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said one or more sensors is a biological sensor that senses at least one selected from the group consisting of transcutaneous or invasive nerve activity (neural electrical activity), muscle electrical activity (myopotentials), mechanical activity (mechanoreceptors), skin resistance, body temperature, body pH, skin pH, mouth pH, gastrointestinal pH, genitourinary tract pH, enzymatic profile, DNA profile, heart rate, and ventilating (breathing) rate.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein said one or more sensors is an external sensor that senses biological signals from the nervous system, from another individual's nervous system or from a database of signals.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said one or more sensors is an external sensor that provides information selected from the group consisting of pressure, physical movement, temperature, sound within the normal human physiological range, sound outside the normal human physiological range, sound within the physiological range of animals, electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectrum, electromagnetic radiation in the invisible spectrum, gamma radiation, X-rays, radiowaves, toxins, carbon monoxide, excessive carbon dioxide, radiation, alpha radiation, beta radiation, biotoxins, toxins of E. coli , and anthrax.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said effector responses are made using a member selected from the group consisting of direct electrical outputs, mechanical machines, nerve stimulating electrodes, servo motors, digitized electronic signals, radiofrequency transmissions, infrared transmissions, visualized data and combinations thereof.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said body function is selected from the group consisting of sensing sight (visual) information, sensing hearing (auditory) information, sensing touch information, sensing smell (olfactory) information, muscular movement, physical moving an object, purposeful communication using movement, controlling a device, mental alertness, biological disease, biological disease that affects the brain, biological disease that affects the eye, biological disease that affects the peripheral nervous system, biological disease that affects a limb, biological disease that affects the lungs, biological disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract, biological disease that affects the kidneys and combinations thereof.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sensors is an external sensor of oxygen desaturation, and wherein the effector is a device that stimulates the phrenic nerve.
13. A system for interacting with the nervous system, the system comprising:
a processor;
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, performs operations comprising:
detecting signals of normal and abnormal function of a body function of an individual at one or more sensors, without requiring knowledge of the precise neurophysiological mapping of the signals;
mathematically associating the signals to create a symbolic representation specific to the body function of the individual; and
delivering effector responses based on the representation to enhance or reinstate the body function.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein said body function is selected from the group consisting of visual function, visual disease progression, mood, alertness, detecting traumatic brain injury, learning how to operate machinery, exercise, cardiac electrical function, cardiac mechanical function, detecting subclinical seizure, complex sensory-motor activities and combinations thereof.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein said one or more sensors are selected from the group consisting of:
(i) solid physical sensors selected from the group consisting of FINE, ECG-electrical sensors, EEG-electrical sensors and combinations thereof,
(ii) non-solid physical sensors selected from the group consisting of electrostatic creams, piezoelectric film sensors, printed circuit sensors, photosensitive film, thermosensitive film and combinations thereof,
(iii) external-oriented sensors selected from the group consisting of video sensors, infrared sensors, temperature sensors, gas sensors and combinations thereof, and
(iv) combinations thereof.
16. The system of claim 13 , wherein said one or more sensors is a biological sensor that senses at least one selected from the group consisting of transcutaneous or invasive nerve activity (neural electrical activity), muscle electrical activity (myopotentials), mechanical activity (mechanoreceptors), skin resistance, body temperature, body pH, skin pH, mouth pH, gastrointestinal pH, genitourinary tract pH, enzymatic profile, DNA profile, heart rate, and ventilating (breathing) rate.
17. The system of claim 13 , wherein said one or more sensors is an external sensor that senses biological signals from the nervous system, from another individual's nervous system or from a database of signals.
18. The system of claim 13 , wherein said one or more sensors is an external sensor that provides information selected from the group consisting of pressure, physical movement, temperature, sound within the normal human physiological range, sound outside the normal human physiological range, sound within the physiological range of animals, electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectrum, electromagnetic radiation in the invisible spectrum, gamma radiation, X-rays, radiowaves, toxins, carbon monoxide, excessive carbon dioxide, radiation, alpha radiation, beta radiation, biotoxins, toxins of E. coli , and anthrax.
19. The system of claim 13 , wherein said effector responses are made using a member selected from the group consisting of direct electrical outputs, mechanical machines, nerve stimulating electrodes, servo motors, digitized electronic signals, radiofrequency transmissions, infrared transmissions, visualized data and combinations thereof.
20. The system of claim 19 , wherein said body function is selected from the group consisting of sensing sight (visual) information, sensing hearing (auditory) information, sensing touch information, sensing smell (olfactory) information, muscular movement, physical moving an object, purposeful communication using movement, controlling a device, mental alertness, biological disease, biological disease that affects the brain, biological disease that affects the eye, biological disease that affects the peripheral nervous system, biological disease that affects a limb, biological disease that affects the lungs, biological disease that affects the gastrointestinal tract, biological disease that affects the kidneys and combinations thereof.
21. The system of claim 13 , wherein said processor is selected from the group consisting of a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics-processing unit (GPU) and a combination thereof.
22. The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more sensors is an external sensor of oxygen desaturation, and wherein the effector response is made using a device that stimulates the phrenic nerve.