Towards Intracellular Computer-Human Interaction: a micro-electronic perspective

Abstract

Success of the semiconductor industry has been driven in part by the miniaturization process, as approximately every three years we see a new generation of memory chips and microprocessors, in which the size of their fundamental elements, the transistors, is reduced 33%. The sizes of these transistors are several orders of magnitude smaller in relation typical human body cell (tens of microns of diameter). The microfabrication techniques of the electronics industry are being also routinely adapted to fabricate systems which are able to integrate mechanical, thermal, optical, magnetic, chemical, or even fluidics components in the same silicon chip, in addition to combining them with electronic components. These silicon chips inside human living cells could provide endless possibilities, beyond the scope of our imagination. In this talk, we present our research in the bases of this incipient future field. We believe that the study of this field will open a new line of research based on Human-Computer Interactions to investigate the relationship between chips and human living cells, human organs or human actors.