Scientists have developed electrode arrays that can be funneled through a small hole in the skull and deployed over a relatively large surface over the brain’s cortex. The technology may be particularly useful for providing minimally invasive solutions for epileptic patients.
The first prototype consists of an electrode array that fits through a hole 2 cm in diameter, but when deployed, extends across a surface that is 4 cm in diameter. It has six spiraled-shaped arms, to maximize the surface area of the electrode array, and thus the number of electrodes in contact with the cortex. Straight arms result in uneven electrode distribution and less surface area in contact with the brain.
Somewhat like a spiraled butterfly intricately squeezed inside its cocoon before metamorphosis, the electrode array, complete with its spiraled-arms, is neatly folded up inside a cylindrical tube, i.e., the loader, ready for deployment through the small hole in the skull.
Thanks to an everting actuation mechanism inspired from soft robotics, each spiraled arm is gently deployed one at a time over sensitive brain tissue. (Image credit: EPFL/Alain Herzog.)
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