At Stanford University researchers have developed flexible conductive electrodes made from a modified plastic. These have similar physical characteristics of rubber while maintaining electrical conductivity sufficient for medical applications, such us brain implants and muscle stimulators. These are essentially the best stretchable conductors ever made, and their composition makes them biocompatible.
Because the brain has the consistency of jelly, rigid electrodes used in current practice for brain-computer-interfaces don’t work optimally throughout the day, as the brain swells and changes shape naturally and during motion. The new electrodes, being highly flexible, can follow stay attached and follow along with the brain’s changes. This is yet to actually be attempted on real, live brains in animals, but the prospect is certainly not far off.
Here’s a video of electrodes on a stretchable material demonstrating how much they can handle:
Study in journal Science Advances: A highly stretchable, transparent, and conductive polymer…
Via: Stanford…
