“Modern medicine is not able to effectively tackle many diseases,” explains Yuri Shelepin, Head of ITMO U’s International Neurophysiology of the Virtual Reality Laboratory, “as the side-effects of antipsychotics such as schizophrenia are often too great”. Now through audio and video signals, various illnesses can be treated much safer than previously when using magnetic stimulation. It is in this light that a symposium on “Video and Audio Signal Processing in the Context of Neurotechnologies”, is being organized for experts from various fields to come together and understand the brain at a deeper level.
Mr. Shelepin is a co-chair for this symposium which will take place from 30 June to 2 July 2016 in St. Petersburg, where industry, researchers and academia will be able to exchange experiences and consider how technologies such as MRI and CT scans can help us map the brain in order to effectively approach neurosurgical operations.
The field of information technology has already made headway in robotics, intelligent transport and smart housing, however neurotechnology is still gradually developing, a niche waiting to be tapped into. “We are working together with colleagues from other scientific educational organizations in St. Petersburg to create a NeuroNet Center.” explained Natalia Lukovnikova, the Head of ITMO U’s Center for Science and Technology Foresight. “This is a long-term process and as such we are at the same time initiating and running other events related to neurotechnology such as the Cognitive Computing Hackathon and this symposium starting on the 30 June”.
Students participating in the symposium will have an opportunity to hear first-hand about the latest research from leading universities around the world. The hope is that this symposium, organized by IEEE and co-organized with the assistance of ITMO U’s International Research Center of Functional Materials and Devices of Optoelectronics and Electronics “will be a space for developers to take the first steps in solving pertinent issues related to neurology and neurosurgery which will have a significant impact at the global level,” according to Maria Marusina, a professor of the Center.
