Neuroengineering

Neuroengineering

Neuroengineering is about using the scientific method to understand and model the nervous system, and to use this knowledge to build engineered systems that interact with, augment, or mimic nervous system functionality.

It is closely related to the fields of experimental and computational neuroscience. Experimental neuroscience is the study of neural systems in different forms of life, at the molecular, cellular, systems and cognitive levels. Computational neuroscience refers to the development of mathematical models and computational analyses of these neural systems. Computational neuroscience complements experimental neuroscience, by helping to integrate, and provide a deeper analysis of, different experimental results. The formal theory and methods developed through the combination of experimental and computational neuroscience provide the framework, with which neuroengineers can develop new inventions.

Put simply, the neuroengineering group aims to address two main questions:
(1) How does the brain learn, control behaviour, and give rise to the mind?
(2) How can we use our understanding of the brain to develop new inventions? This includes developing technologies that can either interact with the brain, or emulate biological intelligence.

To this end, the neuroengineering group's core research interests, include audition, speech and bionic ear design, computational neuroscience, epilepsy, neuroinformatics and neuroimaging, vision and bionic eye design. These areas involve a significant overlap with ideas from fields in engineering, computer science, mathematics, and physics. They include such topics as machine learning and pattern recognition, biological signal processing, nonlinear dynamical systems theory, stochastic processes, and statistical mechanics, to name just a few.

To help achieve its aims, the neuroengineering group is involved in collaborations with several leading research institutions, including The Bionic Ear Institute, the Howard Florey Institute, St. Vincent's Hospital of Melbourne, and National ICT Australia Victoria Research Laboratory.