Bioinspired technology: from cochlear implants to an artificial pancreas

Professor Christofer Toumazou FRS chaired by Professor Peter Wells FRS

Biology is inspiring technology, which in turn replaces biology. This global trend towards ageing populations, less active lifestyles and fast-food diets, is leading to more cases of, and earlier onset of, chronic conditions such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

This lecture will reveal  Professor Toumazou’s attempts to provide bioinspired sensor processing technologies to help ease these and other conditions, including an on-the-spot DNA diagnostic test, a wireless disposable 'digital' plaster that measures heart and respiration continuously, a silicon based artificial pancreas, retina, cochlear and other body sensors  wirelessly connected through mobile technology.

Professor Chris Toumazou became the youngest professor at Imperial in 1995 at the age of 33. In 2003 he raised a total of £22m to create the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, a multidisciplinary research institute focusing on personalised medicine and bionanotechnology. He became its first Director and Chief Scientist. He has made outstanding contributions to the fields of low power analogue circuit design and current mode circuits and systems for radio frequency and biomedical applications. Amongst his many achievements in this field of `bioinspired' analogue design is the development of one of the world’s first implantable cochlea chips, which gave hearing back to those born deaf.