Key points from article :
Researchers created a brain-computer interface array featuring microneedles affixed to a flexible backing.
Allows to better conform to the undulating surface of the brain, permitting better contact and improved signal recording.
New array uses a soft backing, and contains 1024 microneedles that are each ten times thinner than a human hair.
Tested the array in rodents for 196 days and suggested that the technology is suitable for long-term implantation.
Array employs 10 times more microneedles than existing technologies, and can cover an area of the brain that is 10-fold larger.
Improves the ability of users to control external devices, from wheelchairs to prosthetic limbs.
For patients with absent limbs and those with mobility issues in controlling assistive technologies, such as motorized wheelchairs.
A prosthetic user could receive real-time haptic feedback on the items they touch using a brain-computer interface-controlled prosthetic.
Research led by Shadi Dayeh from UCSD, and published in Advanced Functional Materials.
