Implant that ‘talks’ to brain with light may help restore lost senses

By Stephen Beech

A wireless implant that "speaks" to the brain with light could restore lost senses, say scientists.

Around the size of a postage stamp and thinner than a credit card, the soft, flexible device sits under the scalp but on top of the skull.

It uses light to send information directly to the brain - bypassing the body’s natural sensory pathways - in what scientists are hailing at a "leap" for neurobiology and bioelectronics.

The implant delivers precise patterns of light through the bone to activate neurons across the cortex, according to the American research team.

In experiments, scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois used the device’s tiny, patterned bursts of light to activate specific groups of neurons deep inside the brains of mice.

The mice quickl