Event:

Miniature magnetic and optical neural interfaces

Miniature implanted devices capable of manipulating and recording biological signals promise to improve the way we study biology and the way we diagnose and treat disease; however, to create an effective network of miniature bioelectronic devices we must overcome myriad engineering challenges. In this talk, I will describe how we can leverage unique device physics and material properties to overcome some of these challenges. Specifically, I will show how magnetoelectric materials allow us to effectively transmit data and power to mm-sized devices deep inside the body. I will also describe how we can engineer fast magnetic control of genetically targeted neurons. Finally, I will discuss how we can create compact wearable and implantable fluorescent imaging systems by combining photonic technology with computational imaging. Overall, these technologies provide a suite of miniature magnetic and optical neural interfaces that could support next-generation brain-computer interfaces and closed-loop electronic medicine.