A soft robot inserted through a tiny hole in the skull can deploy six sensor-filled legs on the surface of the brain. A version of this soft robot has been successfully tested in a miniature pig and could be scaled up for human testing in the future.
The concept offers a less invasive approach for placing electrodes on the brain’s surface compared to the traditional method, in which surgeons cut a hole in the skull the size of the fully extended device. If it proves safe and effective in humans, it could eventually help monitor and even treat patients who experience epileptic seizures or other neurological disorders.
“There’s actually a really large surface area that you can reach without doing a large craniotomy,” says Stéphanie Lacour at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland.
The soft robot is 2 centimetres (0.8 inches) long and its legs are primarily made from flexible silicone polymer. The legs resemble curved flower petals spiralling around the central body, and when fully extended they cover a diameter of 4 centimetres (1.6 inches). Each leg contains electrodes for monitoring brain activity.
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