Stretchable microelectrode array

The first time the term stretchable multielectrode array (sMEA) Understanding how cells convert mechanical stimuli appeared in the literature was in a conference proceeding in 2002 from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

[12] This paper described the fabrication of an sMEA for a retinal prosthesis, but no biological material was used, i.e., functionality to record or stimulate neural activity was not attempted.

In 2008, a paper from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University described the use of sMEAs in stimulating a explant of a rat spinal cord.

Stretchable microelectrode arrays (sMEAs) can be categorized whether they are used with cells or tissue slices in a dish (in vitro) or whether they are implanted in an animal or human (in vivo).

The main differences between sMEAs and rigid MEAs are summarized below: The reason for these differences is that sMEAs are fabricated using soft elastomeric materials such as PDMS as substrate and encapsulation which have a much higher coefficient of thermal expansion and lower Young's Modulus than rigid MEAs that are built on glass, plastic or silicon (CMOS) substrates.

Stretchable MEAs have many benefits for implantable in vivo applications for recording and stimulation of electrophysiological activity from electrogenic biological tissues (most commonly neurons and muscles).

Second, sMEAs cause significant smaller foreign body reaction than rigid MEAs because of the reduced mismatch in mechanical properties (stiffness) between the implant the tissue.

This application is vital for detecting and treating arrhythmias and other cardiac conditions, providing real-time monitoring and precise intervention.

These applications utilize the mechanical resilience and electrical functionality of sMEAs to develop robots capable of navigating complex environments and performing delicate tasks.

Stretchable microelectrode arrays represent an advancement in biomedical engineering, with potential applications in neural interfaces, cardiac monitoring, in vitro research, and soft robotics.

Research and development efforts continue to focus on overcoming existing challenges to fully realize the potential of these devices.