Rikky Muller gives department colloquium at UW ECE

Rikky Muller gave a colloquium talk for the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Washington entitled “Intelligent, Wireless Neural Interfaces” on May 17th, 2022.

Abstract - Neural interface technologies stand to revolutionize disease care for patients with neurological conditions and in the future, the human experience. Today, there are two main classes of neural interface technologies: (1) brain-machine interfaces that record neural activity to control external devices and (2) neuromodulation technologies that provide stimulation to treat interactable neurological conditions. Unifying recording and stimulation technologies will enable intelligent, closed-loop devices that can monitor, learn, diagnose, and treat disease autonomously. In this talk I will present three classes of implantable neural interface technologies that enable bidirectional and closed-loop interactions with the brain and peripheral nervous system. These devices are based on integrated circuit and microsystems technologies that combine extreme miniaturization with advanced performance. I will start by presenting neuromodulation technology that combines high channel count neural recording with neurostimulation in a truly closed-loop manner. This technology will enable automated programming and adaptive, patient-specific therapies that will result in improved outcomes and reduced side effects. I will also present our work in the extreme miniaturization of recording and stimulating interfaces for the peripheral nervous system, and a new class of optical neural interfaces that will enable interactions with thousands of neurons with single-cell precision.