neural interface

Any device that records signals from the nervous system, sends signals into it, or both. A brain–computer interface is one kind: a neural interface connected to a computer.

Neural interfaces range from caps worn on the scalp, such as the electroencephalogram, to sheets of electrodes placed on the brain’s surface (electrocorticography) and implants that go into brain tissue. The closer a device sits to the neurons, the clearer the signal, and the more surgery it needs.

Much current research, including nanotechnology, aims to break that trade-off: to get a clear signal with a device that is smaller, softer, wireless or less invasive.

Related terms: brain–computer interface, hardware, electrocorticography, neural dust, injectable mesh electronics, neural decoding

Sources: Brain–computer interface — Wikipedia