Noted: Justin Williams, a biomedical engineer at the University of Wisconsin, has already transformed the ECoG implant into a microdevice that can be installed with a minimum of fuss. It has been tested in animals for long periods of time ? the micro ECoG stays in place and doesn?t seem to negatively affect the immune system. Williams said he hopes to try it in humans soon. ?Our goal is to make devices that would require only an outpatient procedure,? he says. ?Even if we could make it an overnight stay in the hospital, that would be good.? The implant, in humans, would be about the size of a quarter and sit like a plug in the skull, with a tiny antenna for wireless hookup between machine and brain.
Office of Strategic Communication