Neural Dust: tiny wireless implants work as electronic brain medications

Researchers at the University of California at Berkeley are developing Neuron Dust — tiny wireless sensors for implantation in the brain, muscles, and intestines that can be used in the future to control prostheses or as electromedicals to treat epilepsy or stimulate the immune system. Scientists have already tested on the rat version of the sensor size of three millimeters.

“I think in the long term,“ neural dust ”will be used not only inside the nerves and brain, but much more widely,” said researcher Michel Maharbiz. - It has never been possible to conduct telemetry inside the body, because before there was no way to put something superminiature very deep. But now I can take a microscopic particle and install it on a nerve or organ, your gastrointestinal tract or muscle, and then read the data. ”

Makharbiz and neuro engineer José Carmena (Jose Carmena), together with their colleagues, published the latest results of their research on the topic “Wireless recording in the peripheral nervous system using ultrasonic“ neural dust ”” in the journal Neuron.

From an article by the University of California at Berkeley:

Although the experiments previously involved the peripheral nervous system and muscles, with the same effect, “neural dust” can work in the central nervous system and the brain, allowing the prostheses to be managed. Modern implantable electrodes fail within one to two years, and they all connect to the wires through the holes in the skull. Wireless sensors - from tens to hundreds - can be hermetically concealed inside the body, eliminating the occurrence of infections or unwanted movement of the electrodes.

“The original goal of the project“ Neural Dust ”is to introduce the next generation of brain-computer interfaces and obtain a viable clinical technology,” said neuroscientist neuroscientist Ryan Neely. “If a paralyzed person wants to control a computer or a robotic arm, you can simply implant this electrode into his brain, and he would remain there throughout his life.”
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“Spraying“ neural dust ”opens the door to electronic medicine . "