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Abstract
The emerging field of bioelectronic medicine seeks methods for deciphering and modulating
electrophysiological activity in the body to attain therapeutic effects at target
organs. Current approaches to interfacing with peripheral nerves and muscles rely
heavily on wires, creating problems for chronic use, while emerging wireless approaches
lack the size scalability necessary to interrogate small-diameter nerves. Furthermore,
conventional electrode-based technologies lack the capability to record from nerves
with high spatial resolution or to record independently from many discrete sites within
a nerve bundle. Here, we demonstrate neural dust, a wireless and scalable ultrasonic
backscatter system for powering and communicating with implanted bioelectronics. We
show that ultrasound is effective at delivering power to mm-scale devices in tissue;
likewise, passive, battery-less communication using backscatter enables high-fidelity
transmission of electromyogram (EMG) and electroneurogram (ENG) signals from anesthetized
rats. These results highlight the potential for an ultrasound-based neural interface
system for advancing future bioelectronics-based therapies.