Neural Dust: An Ultrasonic, Low Power Solution for Chronic Brain-Machine Interfaces

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel ultrasonic, low-power neural interface system called Neural Dust, enabling scalable, minimally invasive, and potentially lifelong brain-machine interfaces through tiny sensor nodes and a sub-cranial interrogator.

Contribution

It proposes a new system design with thousands of miniature sensor nodes and a sub-cranial interrogator, advancing the scalability and longevity of neural interfaces.

Findings

Demonstrates the feasibility of thousands of 10-100 μm neural dust sensors

Shows ultrasonic power delivery and backscatter communication for neural data transmission

Provides a pathway for truly chronic brain-machine interfaces

Abstract

A major hurdle in brain-machine interfaces (BMI) is the lack of an implantable neural interface system that remains viable for a lifetime. This paper explores the fundamental system design trade-offs and ultimate size, power, and bandwidth scaling limits of neural recording systems built from low-power CMOS circuitry coupled with ultrasonic power delivery and backscatter communication. In particular, we propose an ultra-miniature as well as extremely compliant system that enables massive scaling in the number of neural recordings from the brain while providing a path towards truly chronic BMI. These goals are achieved via two fundamental technology innovations: 1) thousands of 10 - 100 \mu m scale, free-floating, independent sensor nodes, or neural dust, that detect and report local extracellular electrophysiological data, and 2) a sub-cranial interrogator that establishes power and communication links with the neural dust.