Scientists claim they have moved closer to integrating computer electronics with the human body.
They said the breakthrough could mark a leap towards creating cyborgs that are a part person and part robot by using stretchy organic materials to conduct electronic signals.
Researchers at the University of Delaware in the US found the kind of chemical enabling smartphone screens to be touch responsive could be deployed as a transmission “interface” between electronics and delicate neurological tissue.
Traditional microelectronic materials - such as silicon, gold and stainless steel - can cause scarring to cells when implanted.
So researchers experimented with a polymer, called Pedot, as an “interface” between electronic hardware and the nervous system.
After testing, they discovered the polymer had the properties necessary for interfacing computer hardware and human tissue.
It is hoped such “electrically active” polymers could help monitor tumour development or even act as a bridge for damaged tissue.
The team also built a neurotransmitter polymer using dopamine, the brain’s pleasure chemical, which plays a role in addictive behaviours.
Research leader David Martin, a specialist in organic molecular semiconductors, said one day it could even be possible to merge computer AI with the human brain using such bio-synthetic materials.
Dr Martin said: “We got the idea for this project because we were trying to interface rigid, inorganic microelectrodes with the brain, but brains are made out of organic, salty, live materials.
“It wasn’t working well, so we thought there must be a better way.
“We started looking at organic electronic materials like conjugated polymers that were being used in non-biological devices.
“We found a chemically stable example that was sold commercially as an antistatic coating for electronic displays.”
The findings were due to be presented today at the American Chemical Society’s autumn expo.
Firms including Elon Musk’s Neuralink are already developing technology that connects the human brain with computers via a chip surgically implanted into the skull.
