Latest News
Bionics Institute Special Seminar on Stroke Rehabilitation
2 May 2012
The Bionics Institute will host a special lecture, “
The role of neural reorganization in stroke rehabilitation”, by Professor Randolph Nudo on Friday 18th May. Professor Nudo is the Marion Merrell Dow Distinguished Professor in Aging and the Director of the Landon Center on Aging at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas, USA. See
flyer for details.
Support us by shopping at Ritchies during April
30 March 2012
During April,
10c from each sale of a
Colgate-Palmolive product from any Ritchies Supa IGA will go to supporting our research programs in bionic hearing, bionic vision and neurobionics. For the locations of Ritchies Supa IGA stores visit their
website, and for a complete list of Colgate-Palmolive products visit their
website.
Bionics Institute Special Seminar on Deep Brain Stimulation
8 March 2012
The Bionics Institute will host a special lecture, “Electrical Stimulation to Adjust the Activity of Circuits and Networks in the Human Brain”, by Professor Andres M Lozano (RR Tasker Chair in Functional Neurosurgery, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada) on Friday 23rd March. See flyer for details.
Improving hearing aids for people with auditory neuropathy
23 February 2012
In auditory neuropathy, the sensory structures of the inner ear are largely functional; however, sound information is not faithfully transmitted to the brain and people experience great difficulty in understanding speech, especially in the presence of noise. more...
Auditory neuroscience workshop
8 February 2012
The Bionics Institute was a principal sponsor of the recent 8th Australasian Auditory Neuroscience Network Workshop held on the Gold Coast, Queensland. Institute researchers, Drs James Fallon and Lisa Pettingill, organised this excellent meeting that brought together scientists from Australia and New Zealand to inform, learn, and share knowledge of auditory neuroscience. more...
Deputy Director awarded prestigious fellowship
27 January 2012
Professor Hugh McDermott, Deputy Director (Research), was recently elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) for his contributions to improved sound-processing techniques for cochlear implants and hearing aids. Each year, following a rigorous evaluation procedure, the IEEE Fellow Committee recommends a select group of recipients for one of the Association's most prestigious honours - an IEEE Fellow.
Innovation in Medical Bionics
19 January 2012
Bionics Institute Deputy Director, Professor Peter Blamey, was one of a select number of expert speakers who presented at the
INNOVATION in AUSTRALIA 2011 event hosted by the Federal Government last December.
Link to presentation (video)
more...
Music for the Bionic Ear
11 January 2012
Robin Fox, one of Australia's leading composers and performers of experimental music, and Hamish Innes-Brown of the Bionics Institute joined forces to bring a new musical experience to cochlear implant recipients.
News of our research reaches new heights
12 December 2011Somewhere between Melbourne and Sydney, or possibly Adelaide and Cairns, more than 262,000 people were treated to a six page in-depth story about medical bionics in Australia, and in particular the Bionics Institute. In the November issue of Virgin Airlines’ in-flight magazine,
Voyeur, the article “
Man and machine: How bionic engineering is changing the way we live” provided an overview of our bionic vision and neurobionics research programs, as well as describing the development of prosthetic limbs taking place in the USA.
Full article.
"Excellent talks, superb venue, great food, wonderful country"
25 November 2011
The Bionics Institute is proud to continue its long tradition of leadership in the field of medical bionics research. We are committed to bringing together the people and the know-how to ensure progress in creating bionic solutions to major health issues, and our recent Medical Bionics Conference was another step forward in this progress. We’re delighted at the positive feedback we’ve received. more...
Neurobionics research program receives funding boost
9 November 2011The Bionics Institute’s Neurobionics research program has received a substantial funding boost with $862,000 being provided by The Colonial Foundation over the next three years. This research program aims to develop and evaluate new implantable devices to safely and effectively treat people who have severe and intractable neurological or psychiatric conditions. more...
Waverley Probus Club visits the Institute
26 October 2011
A group from the Waverley Probus Club attended the Bionics Institute last week to listen to Joav Niran (pictured), a cochlear implant recipient of more than six years and an Institute Ambassador. Joav was insightful and humorous when speaking of his personal experiences, particularly when discussing his first few weeks of familiarising himself with the device.
more...
Institute keynote speakers at student-industry networking event
13 October 2011
Professors
Peter Blamey and
Hugh McDermott, Deputy Directors of the Bionics Institute will be keynote speakers at
NetWork11 a student-industry networking event.
The dinner will be held on Thursday, 13th October by The Victoria Network of the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology).
more...Bionics Institute research at world-leading cochlear implant conference
18 August 2011
In late July, eight Bionics Institute staff attended the 2011 Conference on Implantable Auditory Prostheses in the USA.
This pre-eminent conference is the ideal forum for cochlear implant researchers from around the world to present their latest findings and exchange ideas.
more...
Carbon nanotubes for advanced bionic devices
10 August 2011
Bionics Institute research was recently featured on the cover of the prestigious international journal
Small. The research reported on the biosafety of carbon nanotubes and their suitability as a component of advanced bionic devices
more...
Major Partner, Woodards, Unique Real Estate Challenge
4 August 2011
Woodards’ Director, Ruth Roberts, has been chosen by tv reality show, "The Block" participants, Josh and Jenna, to sell their house at 37 Cameron Street, Richmond, Victoria.
The first Sunday’s fundraiser was highly successful with $3,400 being raised on the day.
Congratulations and thanks to Woodards for their generosity.
more...
Pedal power to raise funds for medical bionics research
29 July 2011
After riding approximately 20,000 kms on a recumbent bicycle in Australia and New Zealand, John has raised $94,000 for medical bionics research at the Bionics Institute.
more...
Director invited speaker at Royal Society
30 June 2011
Prof Rob Shepherd was an invited speaker at the conference Tissue Engineering in the auditory system: Paving the way from basic science to clinical practice held at the Royal Society in London. The talk was entitled “Preserving auditory neurons: intracochlear electrical stimulation and neurotrophins”
Bionics Institute's neurotrophin research
New Institute launched
17 June 2011
PM Julia Gillard today announced that Australia has transitioned from the bionic ear to the bionic era of health and medical research. more... Bionics Institute Chair Mr Gerry Moriarty and Senator Kim Carr, Innovation Minister