When engineers design devices like prosthetic limbs that interface with the human body, they face a fundamental challenge: how do you create something that’s able to send and receive electrical impulses yet is physically compatible with living tissue?
Neural electrodes are devices designed to interface directly with the body’s natural electrical impulse systems. These electrodes can help restore lost function when injury, disease, or amputation has disrupted the normal pathways between peripheral nerves and the body parts they control.
Peripheral nerves in the human body are soft, flexible structures that bend and move naturally with our daily activities. Traditional electrodes, however, are typically rigid, creating a mismatch between the device and the biological tissue.
For electrodes to work effectively over time, they need to maintain reliable electrical connections while accommodating the natural movement and flexibility of nerve tissue. Until now, achieving both requirements simultaneously has been a significant technical hurdle.
Our Innovation: Flexible Electrodes that Maintain Electronic Function
Our breakthrough lies in our recently patented flexible electrode technology using nanofiber mats as the foundation for neural electrodes. This approach leverages the low bending stiffness of these nanofiber structures to create electrodes that can flex without compromising their electronic functionality.
The technology involves creating a web of incredibly thin nanofibers. These fibers are so small they’re measured in nanometers (thousands of times thinner than a human hair). When formed into a mat, they create a structure that combines the flexibility needed to work with human tissue while still being able to conduct electrical impulses.
The key achievement is maintaining sustained two-way communication with peripheral nerves. This means the electrodes can both send electrical signals to nerves and receive signals from them while being flexible enough for surgical implantation and long-term compatibility with nerve tissue.
Wafer showing dozens of produced electrodes
Light microscopy image of a single electrode. Neural interface is on the right; electrical interface to equipment on the left
Looking Forward
This technology represents an advancement in neural interface engineering. By overcoming the flexibility versus functionality trade-off, we’ve created a platform that could enable new approaches to peripheral nerve interfacing.
While the specific applications of this technology are still being explored, the core innovation addresses a fundamental constraint that has limited previous neural interface designs. The unique electrical functionality combined with material flexibility could also have implications in wearable sensors, conductive textiles, and more.
Contact us to learn more or to find out about opportunities to collaborate.
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