A Profitable Chip in My Arm

Jiří Lauda

A team of researchers led by American Northwestern University has signed a cooperative agreement with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a wireless, fully implantable device that can control the circadian rythm of a human body. This device is able to cut the time of jet-lag "shock" to half.

The first thing on the program list is to develop the whole implant. The second phase is to validate the device and remove its errors. If it is fully functional then, the work can proceed to phase number 3, testing on humans. The full funding corresponds to $33 million which can be drawn from the assets in the course of four-and-a-half years.

This device could be a powerful tool for the armed forces, that frequently travel across multiple time zones, enabling them to be fresh in the battlefield as well as for the businessmen all over the world to prevent tiredness while travelling.

DARPA is combining synthetic biology with bioelectronics - engineers just force cells to produce peptides that regulate sleep cycle. This process should be controlled by the electronic device in your body. When the engineered cells are exposed to light, they will generate these peptides.

Afterwards, our bodies help us to produce these peptides and send it directly into the bloodstream. We do not have to carry drugs or injections. This chip just works as an electronic bioclock and furthermore, it will not run out of energy.