http://arxiv.org/abs/1307.2196
Current Brain-computer interfaces offer finite resolution, are hard to apply to many brain regions, and can only stay directly connected to the brain for a short period of time due to their invasiveness. Berkeley researchers have proposed an ultra-small, ultrasound-based neural recording system called “neural dust”. It consists of thousands of sensors that are 10-100 micrometers in size containing CMOS circuits and sensors to detect and report local extracellular electrophysiological data. The neural dust is powered by ultrasonic waves via a transducer that is implanted just below the dura. The sub-dural unit interrogates the neural dust and sends information to another receiver outside the body.
This could provide a much higher resolution look inside the brain, as it will be able to record from thousands of sites, in contrast to the hundreds of channels allowed by current technology.
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