To overcome these challenges and maximize the use of wireless optogenetics, we present a fully implantable, soft, wirelessly rechargeable optoelectronic systems that can be conformally integrated within the body and can be easily controlled by a readily available smartphone. However, their bulky and rigid configurations limit biomechanically compatible chronic use within the body, and moreover, the wireless charging capability in freely moving animals has not been demonstrated 28, 29. Some recent advances have tried to combine batteries with a wireless energy-harvesting module in implantable systems to enable wireless charging of batteries. These features substantially constrain diverse behavioral experiment setups for complex neuroscience research and frustrate possible future use of this technology in daily human life for therapeutic interventions. However, their wireless operation is susceptible to angular orientations, does not support selective control among multiple animals mingled together, and most importantly, always requires special bulky cages equipped with an RF power transfer system.
#Mac 10 9mm side charging full#
Battery-free implants with miniaturized radiofrequency (RF) energy-harvesting circuits, on the other hand, overcome this limitation by allowing their full implantation inside the body 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27. Battery-powered devices provide a stable stand-alone power solution but require intermittent replacement of batteries for continuous operation, thereby necessitating head-mounted configurations vulnerable to external stress 15, 16, 17, 18, 19. Current wireless technologies largely rely on battery-powered 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 or battery-free approaches 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27. Recent developments of wireless optogenetic devices have tried to abate limitations associated with the tethered approach 9, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27. Advancements in materials and micro/nanofabrication techniques have enabled ultrathin neurophilic probes 10, 11, 12 and multifunctional polymeric fibers 13, 14 that allow chronic biocompatible integration with neural tissue, but they still rely on leashed setups with bulky equipment, thus restricting their full capabilities.
However, conventional approaches for optogenetics involve tethered optical fibers for light delivery, which significantly restrict animals’ movement, cause increased inflammation in soft brain tissue owing to their rigid mechanics, and lack scalable control capability for in vivo studies involving multiple animals 8, 9. This powerful technique allows precise activation or inhibition of specific types of neurons, thus providing the ability to explore neuronal functions and related signal pathways at the circuit level in the central and peripheral nervous systems 7. Optogenetics 6-using light to engage biological systems with exogenously expressed light-sensitive proteins-is an emerging neuroscience tool, which can modulate neuronal populations in a highly selective way. Unveiling the working mechanisms of the brain can open new opportunities for the treatment of brain disorders and neurodegenerative diseases 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Successful demonstration of the unique capabilities of this device in freely behaving rats forecasts its broad and practical utilities in various neuroscience research and clinical applications. Combining advantageous features of both battery-powered and battery-free designs, this device system enables seamless full implantation into animals, reliable ubiquitous operation, and intervention-free wireless charging, all of which are desired for chronic in vivo optogenetics. To address these limitations, here we present a wirelessly rechargeable, fully implantable, soft optoelectronic system that can be remotely and selectively controlled using a smartphone. However, current wireless implants, which are largely based on battery-powered or battery-free designs, still limit the full potential of in vivo optogenetics in freely moving animals by requiring intermittent battery replacement or a special, bulky wireless power transfer system for continuous device operation, respectively. Recent advances in wireless optogenetics technologies have enabled investigation of brain circuits in more natural conditions by releasing animals from tethered optical fibers. Optogenetics is a powerful technique that allows target-specific spatiotemporal manipulation of neuronal activity for dissection of neural circuits and therapeutic interventions.