Sensors Slip Into the Brain, Then Dissolve When Their Job Is Done

An anonymous reader writes: Silicon-based electronic circuits that operate flawlessly in the body for some number of days--soon weeks--and then harmlessly dissolve: they're what University of Illinois professor John Rogers says is the next frontier of electronics. Today he released news of successful animal tests on such transient electronics designed for use in brain implants, but says they could be used just about anywhere in the body. As these devices move into larger animal and eventually human tests, Rogers says he'll be working on the next generation--devices that intervene to accelerate healing or manage medical conditions, not just monitor them.

several sci-fi stories start sorta like this

[turkeydance]

who knows? it might work, but not to the implantee's advantage.

Re:

[sims 2]

Harmlessly like mercury or harmlessly like dissolvable stitches?

Re:

[Tekla Perry]

very much like dissolvable stitches

Re:

[Livius]

I don't want to be negative about what may well be an awesome scientific advance, but I have to wonder how safe a partially dissolved electrical device would be.

Here we are ...

[Negatho]

I can foresee this in future news feed: "spying scandal, opposition brain-monitored to accept the deal", "Get your silicon pills or get fired, the new company query in order to increase proficiency", "Medical failure, the bots was delivering the wrong medication due to a malfunction/wrong setting", "Real life: I got Brain Hacked trough my Facebook silicon brain access !!" So much fun :) *apologies because English is not my native language"

and the SPAM opportunities!

[DrYak]

"...also each night I have a dream about a Russian bride wanting to marry me. Or the prince of Nigeria seeking help to perform a few banking transactions..."

Re: Good for test animals

[slick7]

Dissolve when the job is done, yeah right; no witness, no crime; no evidence, no crime. I can see Hiltlery Rotten Clinton championing this one. Whitewater 2.0, Benghazi 9.2.1a.

Oh wait

[The-Ixian]

It's the brain *implant* that's supposed to dissolve? Oh geez, I got it backwards... it's my first day....

imagine you had an implant that...

[climb_no_fear]

Made your muscles twitch faster and you ran in the Olympics. And then it disappears.

Now I guess they will also have to do MRIs of everyone in the Olympics?

johnny mnemonic

[Joe_Dragon]

When will they add an HDD there?

Stop "fixing us"... I am not an e to solve. Change

[Kay G. B.]

doctrine or doctorate.

Everything You See New, is At Least 20 Years Old

[IonOtter]

Daniel Ringmaiden, a convicted tax fraudster, exposed the Stingray, the device that tracks down the location of cellphones. [businessinsider.com]

And in the process, he discovered that the technology had already been around - and kept secret - for 20 years. It was used by the federal government and spying agencies for 12 years, before being released to law enforcement.

And even after he exposed the device, it was two years before news of it went mainstream, and entered the public consciousness.

So these neat little toys? You sh

Finally

[Ol Olsoc]

The Internet of Brains! Wonder if they have an adblocker for this yet?