Elissa Welle - Regaining Mobility using Brain Microwires

Millions of people live with paralysis in the US today. Brain-machine interfaces, a biomedical engineering technology, can help those paralyzed by a spinal cord injury to regain mobility and independence. It works by recording from a person’s brain, deciphering what the brain wants to do, and then controlling an external assistive device, like a robotic hand or computer cursor. The current device that is used to record from the brain, however, is much bigger than the size of brain cells and causes damage to the brain. We need a smaller recording device that does not damage the brain and provides clearer information to the brain-machine interface on what action the brain wants to perform. The tiny carbon fiber microwires that we have developed are smaller than the size of a brain cell and can record better, clearer information from the brain without causing damage. With these carbon fiber recording devices, brain-machine interfaces may last longer and be able to perform more specific, natural movements to help those who are paralyzed.

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