Biomedical and electrical engineers at UNSW Sydney have developed a new method to measure neural activity using light instead of electricity. This innovation has the potential to revolutionize medical technologies like nerve-operated prosthetics and brain-machine interfaces. The optrodes, which are sensors built using liquid crystal and integrated optics technologies, have demonstrated the ability to register nerve impulses in a living animal body. These optrodes perform as well as conventional electrodes while addressing issues like impedance mismatch and crosstalk that competing technologies cannot. The researchers aim to scale up the number of optrodes to handle complex networks of nervous and excitable tissue, bringing us closer to the dream of prosthetics with the same ability as biological limbs.
| Signal | Change | 10y horizon | Driving force |
|---|---|---|---|
| New way to measure neural activity using light | Shift from electricity to light | Improved medical technologies | Overcoming limitations of electrodes |
| Optrodes can register nerve impulses in animals | Optrodes instead of electrodes | More efficient and precise neural measurements | Shrinking size and impedance mismatch |
| Optrode technology addresses impedance mismatch | Overcoming impedance mismatch | Better signal-to-noise ratio | Shrinking size and increased density |
| Optrodes perform as well as conventional electrodes | Comparable performance to electrodes | Enhanced measurement of nerve impulses | Improved medical technologies |
| Optrodes can accurately measure neural impulses | Accurate neural impulse measurement | Improved understanding of neural activity | Advancements in biomedical engineering |
| Optrode technology can handle complex networks | Scaling up optrodes for complex networks | Enhanced capability of nerve-operated prosthetics | Advancements in biomedical engineering |
| Optrodes could enable prosthetics with fine control | Prosthetics with improved dexterity | Prosthetic hands with similar ability as biological | Integration of optical connections |
| Bidirectional optrodes for brain-machine interface | Bidirectional communication with brain | Enhanced brain-machine interface capabilities | Advancements in neuroscience |
| Brain-machine interface subject to intense research | Intense research on brain-machine interface | Advancements in brain-machine interface technology | Integration of technology and biology |
| Optrodes overcome challenges faced by conventional electrodes | Overcoming limitations of wire electrodes | Improved performance and efficiency of neural interfaces | Advancements in optrode technology |