Neuroprosthetics

The aim of neuroprosthetics is to compensate neural dysfunctions with a sensory or motor background, and to restore functionality. To this end, myogenic and neuronal structures in the peripheral, spinal and central nervous system are electrically stimulated. Cardiac pacemakers, cochlear implants as well as implants for deep brain stimulations, e. g. for paraplegics and stroke patients, have already found their way into clinical practice.

The core competence of the working group Neuroprosthetics is the development and fabrication of implantable microelectrodes, which can be applied to open up new fields in neuroprosthetics. For instance, interfaces for stimulating the retina or the vestibular system, as well as bidirectional interfaces for selectively accessing the afferent and efferent fibres of the peripheral nervous system have been developed.

The application of microtechnology enables the fabrication of ultra-light, flexible microimplants made of biocompatible materials for multi-channel contacting of nerves and control of neuroprostheses.