1/23/2012 PERMALINK
A wireless router for a brain/computer interface using light. The use of light to manipulate behavior by precisely controlling cells in the brain, called optogenetics, has been hailed as a breakthrough in biomedical science. But until now expensive, bulky lasers and a fiber-optic cable had to be attached to an animal brain, making study of cell manipulation in the context of an animal's normal behavior impossible. But a new company called Kendall Research has developed several prototype devices that are small and light and powered wirelessly, allowing mice and other small animals under study to move around freely. The company is also developing systems to control experiments automatically and remotely.