Deployment of an electrocorticography system with a soft robotic actuator

Abstract

Electrocorticography (ECoG) is a minimally invasive approach frequently used clinically to map epileptogenic regions of the brain and facilitate lesion resection surgery and increasingly explored in brain-machine interface applications. Current devices display limitations that require trade-offs among cortical surface coverage, spatial electrode resolution, aesthetic, and risk consequences and often limit the use of the mapping technology to the operating room. In this work, we report on a scalable technique for the fabrication of large-area soft robotic electrode arrays and their deployment on the cortex through a square-centimeter burr hole using a pressure-driven actuation mechanism called eversion. The deployable system consists of up to six prefolded soft legs, and it is placed subdurally on the cortex using an aqueous pressurized solution and secured to the pedestal on the rim of the small craniotomy. Each leg contains soft, microfabricated electrodes and strain sensors for real-time deployment monitoring. In a proof-of-concept acute surgery, a soft robotic electrode array was successfully deployed on the cortex of a minipig to record sensory cortical activity. This soft robotic neurotechnology opens promising avenues for minimally invasive cortical surgery and applications related to neurological disorders such as motor and sensory deficits.

Materials-Driven Soft Wearable Bioelectronics for Connected Healthcare

“…One may imagine that an artificial nurse may work with an experienced surgeon to remotely operate on highly infectious patients in a virtual hospital. To realize this ultimate dream, soft bioelectronics researchers have designed and applied various soft wearable sensors in human-computer/machine interactions, Internet-of-thing, biomedical engineering, surgical assistance, and perception technologies. − Soft electronics can extract target biological or physical information from the surrounding environment and provide a promising strategy to enable soft robots with human-like performance. Various skin-integrated soft electronics − and stimuli-responsive materials have been developed for further augmenting the abilities of soft robotic devices by mimicking the comprehensive capabilities of human sensing systems.…”

Soft Bioelectronics Using Nanomaterials and Nanostructures for Neuroengineering

“…For example, electronic dura mater exploits microfluidic channels for concurrent electrical and chemical neuromodulation , (Figure a, iii). In another example, the integration of microfluidic actuation systems with deformable electrophysiological sensing components based on patterned Au nanofilms enables a deployable intracranial ECoG recording system (Figure a, iv).…”

Polyisobutylene Encapsulated PEDOT: Pss Electrode Honeycomb Skeleton Electrolyte for Moisture Resistant Electro‐Ionic Soft Artificial Muscles

“…Recent advances in soft functional materials have shown potential to revolutionize biomedical technologies, healthcare, manufacturing, wearables, and robotic systems for minimally invasive surgeries [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] with exceptional biocompatibility, [11,12] inherent mechanical compliance, and quick adaptability to environmental changes. [13,14] For soft robots, a soft actuation system is required to interact with its surroundings.…”

“…[13,14] For soft robots, a soft actuation system is required to interact with its surroundings. The actuation system may generate reaction forces via pressure, [10,15,16] DOI: 10.1002/admt.202301584 thermal, [17,18] and electric and magnetic field [19,20] driven stimuli without the use of rigid materials. Amongst electric fielddriven soft actuators, ionic electroactive polymers are very attractive actuators that exhibit low impedance and require only a few volts for deformation, [21,22] promoting safe electronic interfaces when working in close contact with humans.…”