Scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) have revealed a tiny flexible electrode that can be deployed inside the skull without damaging the brain. It will allow doctors to perform minimally invasive surgeries on patients living with epilepsy and various other brain disorders.
The electrode array is made of gold and a transparent elastomer material and is thin enough to fit in the narrow space between the skull and the brain. In a recently published study, the EPFL team mentions that they have successfully tested the electrode in a pig.
The main advantage of this device is that it can enter the brain through a small hole in the skull and then expand inside, enabling neurosurgeons to work on a larger surface area (more neurons and tissues) of the brain. Here is how the uncanny electrode works.
