This brain implant is smaller than a grain of rice

Technology Nov 08, 2025

Cornell researchers have built a super tiny brain implant—called MOTE—that's actually smaller than a grain of rice.
This little device can track brain activity and send the info wirelessly using low-power infrared light, so there are no big wires or bulky batteries to deal with.
As co-author Alyosha Molnar put it, it runs on "consuming very little electricity."

MOTE was tested in lab-grown cells and then in mice

MOTE's clever design means it avoids problems that older implants have, like messing with MRI scans or irritating brain tissue.
It was tested in lab-grown cells and then in mice, where it recorded brain signals for over a year.
Because it's so small and gentle, scientists think MOTE could help monitor not just brains but even tricky spots like the spinal cord in the future.