Tape Spring Neural Probe Carrier for Flexible Tissue Tracking
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional neural probes for deep brain stimulation are limited by their rigid structure, which restricts flexibility and ability to accommodate tissue movement, leading to suboptimal electrode positioning and stimulation patterns.
Innovation Solution
A neural probe with a tape spring-type carrier that provides stiffness along a trajectory while allowing flexibility to move with tissue, enabling precise positioning and off-axis insertion, and supporting multiple electrode arrays for enhanced stimulation and recording capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid carrier is used to maintain structural integrity during insertion, then the probe can be inserted along a desired axial direction, but the electrode array is incapable of flexing and shifting to accommodate tissue movement
Solution Approach 1:
The carrier transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic structure with controlled flexibility. The guiding element can be maneuvered from a first three-dimensional shape into a second, different three-dimensional shape, allowing the probe to adapt to tissue movement while maintaining structural integrity during insertion.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding element is designed as a flexible component that can change its three-dimensional shape. This flexible element allows the probe to bend and conform to tissue contours while the rigid carrier maintains structural integrity during the insertion process.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid three-dimensional carrier is used to support the electrode array, then the probe maintains its shape during insertion, but the electrode array cannot shift to provide fine positioning and selective stimulation
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding element provides dynamic shape change capability, allowing the probe to be inserted in one configuration and then maneuvered into a different configuration for precise electrode positioning. This enables both shape maintenance during insertion and positioning precision after deployment.
3Reliability
If conventional large electrodes are used for deep brain stimulation, then the therapy is generally safe and effective, but the stimulation fields are limited as all electrode sites are positioned along a single axis
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode array is arranged in a three-dimensional configuration rather than being limited to a single axis. Multiple electrode sites are positioned at different spatial coordinates, enabling diverse stimulation patterns and targeting of different neuronal structures while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The electrode array is divided into multiple discrete electrode sites distributed in three-dimensional space. This segmentation allows selective activation of different electrode groups to create various stimulation patterns, enhancing versatility while maintaining the reliability of individual electrode function.
Data Source
AI summary
A neural probe comprising an array of stimulation and/or recording electrodes supported on a tape spring-type carrier is described. The neural probe comprising the tape spring-type carrier is used to insert flexible electrode arrays straight into tissue, or to insert them off-axis from the initial penetration of a guide tube. Importantly, the neural probe is not rigid, but has a degree of stiffness provided by the tape spring-type carrier that maintains a desired trajectory into body tissue, but will subsequently allow the probe to flex and move in unison with movement of the body tissue.