AAWSAP DIRD, Biosensors and BioMEMS: A Survey of the Present Field, March 2010

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Figure 23. A MEMS Microelectrode Array Implanted Into the Cortex of a Rat Brain. The lead wires from the
device can be seen . (NeuroNexus Inc.)
RETINAL DEVICES USING BIOMEMS
An example of MEMS being used in conjunction with wireless implantable systems is the
retinal implant.
These devices attempt to augment vision where it has failed due to problems such as
macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. The basic idea is to use a miniature
video camera and connect it to an electrode array in the eye such that the scene in
view is converted to electrical impulses used to stimulate the sensation of sight by
direct stimulation of the receptors in the eye. Figure 24 shows this idea.
Figure 25 shows a microelectrode array that has been manufactured on a polymer
substrate such that it is exceedingly thin and flexible. The flexibility is needed so that it
conforms to the curved shape of the back of the eye. The electrode pads seen are
attached by a flexible cable.
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