Brain-computer interfaces (BCI) have the potential to revolutionize the lives of people with severe motor and nervous system impairments. These devices allow users to communicate using computers and even move external devices, such as robotic hands, bypassing damage to their nerves. But users of current BCI technology must face the hurdle of implanting the device in their brain. To make this technology more accessible, researchers have partnered with neurosurgery solution provider ClearPoint Neuro to create an automated surgical solution that makes implanting a BCI easier. The device records single unit action potentials (i.e., signals from individual neurons) and local field potentials (LFPs) with high temporal and spatial resolution and high channel count, allowing significant spatial coverage of the neural tissue.
It is implanted by a neurosurgeon who creates a small craniotomy (i.e., opens a small hole in the skull and dura), inserts the devices in the previously determined location by manually placing it in the correct area. The surgeon uses our pneumatic insertion tool to inject the electrodes in a very defined and reproducible manner into the tissue while preventing damage to blood vessels. The surgeon routes the cables and pedestal connector appropriately, screws the connector into the skull bone and closes the dura and bone as well as the skin above it again. For the wireless versions (which are not currently in patients), the electrode array is connected to a small Titanium or ceramic enclosure, much like a pacemaker or a cochlear implant that is placed under the skin but above the bone prior to closing the skin.
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