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Wirelessly Rechargeable Soft Brain Implant Could Cure Brain Diseases
This wirelessly rechargeable and smartphone-controlled soft brain implant may help treat brain diseases, psychiatric disorders. Read the details here.
Science & Tech
Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) invented a smartphone-controlled soft brain implant that is wirelessly rechargeable once it has been fitted into a user's brain.
The device enables long-term neural circuit manipulation while removing the need for periodic disruptive surgeries to replace the implant's battery.
Their research was published on Jan. 22, 2021, in Nature Communications.
The KAIST researchers engineered a tiny brain implant — a fully implantable, soft optoelectronic system — that can control brain circuits for long periods without the need for battery replacement.
The device is made out of ultra-soft and bio-compliant polymers that enable long-term compatibility with live tissue.
Micrometer-sized LEDs about the size of a grain of salt that are mounted on ultrathin probes (as thin as human hairs) allow the device to wirelessly manipulate target neurons via light in the deep brain.