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NOTE ADDRESS
J.T. Mortimer
A good body of knowledge has been accumulated about electrically activating neural tissues since Lojze Vodovnik inoculated me, and I believe others, with his passion for the idea. Models have been developed to gain insight into how these devices work and have served to ground our efforts in building better devices. These models have served us well but the time seems right for us to reevaluate these ideas/models for their utility and correctness. Updating our models to include more current knowledge may enable us to create devices that do things we might previously have thought to be impossible. When I consider that a neural prosthesis is a tool by which controlled and targeted release of neurotransmitters can be realized, incredible opportunities open up to impact behavior, memory and learning as well as address blindness, deafness and paralysis. Finally, when I crossed the line separating animal experiments and human experiments, I was struck with the importance of device commercialization. I realized that a user must have long–term access to all or parts of the device. I know of no other way than commercialization to make this happen, which means that thought should be given early in the processes of device creation to putting in place elements that will be important later to the commercialization phase.