# Experimental Study of the Implantation Process for Array Electrodes into Highly Transparent Agarose Gel

## TL;DR

This study uses transparent agarose gel to mimic brain tissue and examines how electrode implantation affects tissue damage, offering insights for improving brain-computer interface technology.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is the development of a transparent agarose gel model and a synchronized observation setup for studying electrode implantation effects.

## Key findings

- Single electrode implantation load increases with speed, reducing tissue damage around the tip.
- Array electrode implantation causes more tissue indentation due to coupling effects between electrodes.
- Increasing electrode velocity and spacing improves implantation success in the agarose gel model.

## Abstract

Brain–computer interface (BCI) technology is currently a cutting-edge exploratory problem in the field of human–computer interaction. However, in experiments involving the implantation of electrodes into brain tissue, particularly high-speed or array implants, existing technologies find it challenging to observe the damage in real time. Considering the difficulties in obtaining biological brain tissue and the challenges associated with real-time observation of damage during the implantation process, we have prepared a transparent agarose gel that closely mimics the mechanical properties of biological brain tissue for use in electrode implantation experiments. Subsequently, we developed an experimental setup for synchronized observation of the electrode implantation process, utilizing the Digital Gradient Sensing (DGS) method. In the single electrode implantation experiments, with the increase in implantation speed, the implantation load increases progressively, and the tissue damage region around the electrode tip gradually diminishes. In the array electrode implantation experiments, compared to a single electrode, the degree of tissue indentation is more severe due to the coupling effect between adjacent electrodes. As the array spacing increases, the coupling effect gradually diminishes. The experimental results indicate that appropriately increasing the velocity and array spacing of the electrodes can enhance the likelihood of successful implantation. The research findings of this article provide valuable guidance for the damage assessment and selection of implantation parameters during the process of electrode implantation into real brain tissue.