Cornell researchers have built a super-tiny brain implant called MOTE. It is actually smaller than a grain of salt.
This little device can wirelessly track brain signals in living animals for over a year by turning electrical activity into infrared light and sending it through the brain using laser beams.
MOTE could allow MRI brain recordings
MOTE stands out because it could make it possible to collect electrical recordings from the brain during MRI scans, something current devices cannot do.
Alyosha Molnar, a professor who helped lead the project, said they tested it in mice, and it recorded brain activity without causing any harm.
The team is excited about using MOTE for things like spinal cord monitoring or even future innovations like opto-electronics embedded in artificial skull plates.
It is a big step forward for tiny tech that could change how we study and treat the brain.