Animals have already been tested with the device, called a stentrode, which is the size of a matchstick and planted inside a blood vessel near the brain.
It uses a web of small electrodes to pick up neuron signals from the brain and converts them into electrical commands that may one day, the scientists hope, allow paralysed patients to control a bionic limb or wheelchair.
"The big breakthrough is that we now have a minimally invasive brain-computer interface device which is potentially practical for long-term use," said Terry O’Brien, head of medicine at the Department of Medicine and Neurology at the University of Melbourne.
The current method for accessing brain signals requires complex open-brain surgery and becomes less effective over several months, which means it is rarely applied, he said.
The stentrode is less invasive because it can be inserted through a vein in a patient’s neck and placed in a blood vessel near the brain.
The animal trial was on the functionality of the stentrode to pick up neuro signals, not the converting of the electronic signals into movement of bionic limbs, which is established technology.
The animal trial was on the functionality of the stentrode to pick up neuro signals, not the converting of the electronic signals into movement of bionic limbs, which is established technology.
