Decoding peripheral nerve sensory information with a spiked flexible neural interface

Abstract

Wearable artificial sensors are proposed as a way to capture information for restoration of sensory feedback to persons with tetraplegia. However, the ability of these artificial sensors is limited. One relatively unexplored approach is to make use of the signals from surviving tactile and proprioceptive receptors by recording from the transmitting axons. In this paper, we describe a spiked ultraflexible neural (SUN) interface, which can be implanted into the peripheral nervous system (PNS) to capture sensory information. The 3D design, which integrates spiked structures for intrafascicular nerve recording with flexible substrate, enables a conformal interface to the target nerve.