The CMU Array could be used in brain-computer interface platforms, to transform how doctors are able to treat neurological disorders.
3D-printed at the nanoscale, the ultra-high-density microelectrode array (MEA) is fully customisable. This means that one day, patients suffering from epilepsy or limb function loss due to stroke could receive personalised medical treatment optimised for their individual needs.
To develop it, the Carnegie Mellon University team applied a novel microfabrication technique, Aerosol Jet 3D printing, to produce arrays that solved the major design barriers of other brain-computer interface (BCI) arrays.
“Aerosol Jet 3D printing offered three major advantages,” Rahul Panat, associate professor of mechanical engineering, explained. “Users are able to customise their MEAs to fit particular needs; the MEAs can work in three dimensions in the brain, and the density of the MEA is increased and therefore more robust.”
MEA-based...