Researchers at the University of Delaware have developed a new “cyborg-like technology” that will allow electronic devices to merge with human tissue without causing scarring that impedes health monitoring.
Professor David Martin, the group’s head researcher, said the idea came about while discussing how to connect electronic devices to the human brain.
“We were trying to interface rigid, inorganic microelectrodes with the brain, but brains are made out of organic, salty, live materials. We found a chemically stable example that was sold commercially as an anti-static coating for electronic displays,” he said.
“These conjugated polymers are electrically active, but they are also ionically active. Counter-ions give them the charge they need so when they are in operation, both electrons and ions are moving around,” Martin added.
Martin says the new substance, called PEDOT, will improve the performance of medical implants by lowering their impedance by two or three orders of magnitude.
The ultimate goal he says is to allow the materials to deposit themselves, which will allow for implantation inside a living organism, such as a full AI-to-human brain interface.