{"681619":{"#nid":"681619","#data":{"type":"news","title":"New Wearable Brain-Computer Interface","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EMicro-brain sensors placed between hair strands overcome traditional brain sensor limitations.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Tech researchers have developed an almost imperceptible microstructure brain sensor to be inserted into the minuscule spaces between hair follicles and slightly under the skin. The sensor offers high-fidelity signals and makes the continuous use of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) in everyday life possible.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBCIs create a direct communication pathway between the brain\u0027s electrical activity and external devices such as electroencephalography devices, computers, robotic limbs, and other brain monitoring devices. Brain signals are commonly captured non-invasively with electrodes mounted on the surface of the human scalp using conductive electrode gel for optimum impedance and data quality. More invasive signal capture methods such as brain implants are possible, but this research seeks to create sensors that are both easily placed and reliably manufactured.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research.gatech.edu\/people\/w-hong-yeo\u0022\u003EHong Yeo\u003C\/a\u003E, the Harris Saunders Jr. Professor in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.me.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorge W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering\u003C\/a\u003E, combined the latest microneedle technology with his deep expertise in wearable sensor technology that may allow stable brain signal detection over long periods and easy insertion of a new painless, wearable microneedle BCI wireless sensor that fits between hair follicles. The skin placement and extremely small size of this new wireless brain interface could offer a variety of benefits over traditional gel or dry electrodes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI started this research because my main goal is to develop new sensor technology to support healthcare and I had previous experience with brain-computer interfaces and flexible scalp electronics,\u201d said Yeo, who is also a faculty member in Georgia Tech\u2019s Institute for People and Technology. \u201cI knew we needed better BCI sensor technology and discovered that if we can slightly penetrate the skin and avoid hair by miniaturizing the sensor, we can dramatically increase the signal quality by getting closer to the source of the signals and reduce unwanted noise.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EToday\u2019s BCI systems consist of bulky electronics and rigid sensors that prevent the interfaces from being useful while the user is in motion during regular activities. Yeo and colleagues constructed a micro-scale sensor for neural signal capture that can be easily worn during daily activities, unlocking new potential for BCI devices. His technology uses conductive polymer microneedles to capture electrical signals and conveys those signals along flexible polyimide\/copper wires \u2014 all of which are packaged in a space of less than 1\u0026nbsp; millimeter.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA study of six people using the device to control an augmented reality (AR) video call found that high-fidelity neural signal capture persisted for up to 12 hours with very low electrical resistance at the contact between skin and sensor. Participants could stand, walk, and run for most of the daytime hours while the brain-computer interface successfully recorded and classified neural signals indicating which visual stimulus the user focused on with 96.4% accuracy. During the testing, participants could look up phone contacts and initiate and accept AR video calls hands-free as this new micro-sized brain sensor was picking up visual stimuli \u2014 all the while giving the user complete freedom of movement. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAccording to Yeo, the results suggest that this wearable BCI system may allow for practical and continuous interface activity, potentially leading to everyday use of machine-human integrative technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI firmly believe in the power of collaboration, as many of today\u2019s challenges are too complex for any one individual to solve,\u201d said Yeo. \u201cTherefore, I would like to express my gratitude to all the researchers in my group and the amazing collaborators who made this work possible. I will continue collaborating with the team to enhance BCI technology for rehabilitation and prosthetics.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003ENote: Hodam Kim (postdoctoral research fellow), Ju Hyeon Kim (visiting Ph.D. student from Inha University \u2013 South Korea), and Yoon Jae Lee (Ph.D. student) also played a major role in developing this technology.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EFunding: National Science Foundation NRT (Research Traineeship program in the Sustainable Development of Smart Medical Devices), WISH Center (Institute for Matter and Systems), and partial research support from several South Korean programs and grants.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EPNAS article publication (April 7, 2025, Vol. 122, No. 15): \u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.2419304122\u0022 id=\u0022LPlnk761823\u0022 title=\u0022https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.2419304122\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.pnas.org\/doi\/10.1073\/pnas.2419304122\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMicro-brain sensors placed between hair strands overcome traditional brain sensor limitations.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Micro-brain sensors placed between hair strands overcome traditional brain sensor limitations."}],"uid":"27513","created_gmt":"2025-04-07 14:02:17","changed_gmt":"2025-04-08 17:30:51","author":"Walter Rich","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2025-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2025-04-07T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"676763":{"id":"676763","type":"image","title":"A micro-scale brain sensor on a finger","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA micro-scale brain sensor on a finger. Credit: W. Hong Yeo.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1744034285","gmt_created":"2025-04-07 13:58:05","changed":"1744034361","gmt_changed":"2025-04-07 13:59:21","alt":"A micro-scale brain sensor on a finger","file":{"fid":"260593","name":"Image_1a-copy.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/04\/07\/Image_1a-copy.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/04\/07\/Image_1a-copy.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":729649,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/04\/07\/Image_1a-copy.jpg?itok=xuJ9WrKK"}},"676764":{"id":"676764","type":"image","title":"A micro-scale brain sensor placed between hair follicles.","body":"\u003Cp\u003EA micro-scale brain sensor placed between hair follicles. Credit: W. Hong Yeo.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1744034380","gmt_created":"2025-04-07 13:59:40","changed":"1744034431","gmt_changed":"2025-04-07 14:00:31","alt":"A micro-scale brain sensor placed between hair follicles.","file":{"fid":"260594","name":"Image_2.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/04\/07\/Image_2.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2025\/04\/07\/Image_2.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":187187,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2025\/04\/07\/Image_2.jpg?itok=fYtJCEtw"}}},"media_ids":["676763","676764"],"groups":[{"id":"69599","name":"IPaT"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"188084","name":"go-ipat"},{"id":"187915","name":"go-researchnews"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto: walter.rich@research.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EWalter Rich\u003C\/a\u003E, Research Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["walter.rich@research.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}