Neurosurgical implants need to be reliable, safe, and minimally invasive. At the same time, to create a visual image in the brain of someone who is blind, to generate the hearing of complex speech sounds, or to, in reverse, record the brain signals responsible for speech, microelectrodes need to contact thousands of neurons across a brain region – but not be too large or rigid to cause tissue damage. Achieving a balance of efficacy, efficiency, and safety, is an ambitious goal for NeuroTech-NL’s scientists, neurosurgeons, and medical device companies. As part of the NWO Crossover grant funded by the Dutch government, engineers and neurosurgeons will work with industry to combine their expertise in advanced materials, biocompatibility, and wireless power transmission to design and manufacture the next generation of flexible, ultrathin, and dense electrode arrays that interface seamlessly with neural tissue, forming low-impedance electrical bridges for efficient brain reading and writing.
