In 2013, President Obama created the Brain Initiative. Gray Matter Research received one of the first Brain Initiative research grants in September 2014. The Funding Opportunity Title was BRAIN Inititiave: Optimization of Transformative Technologies for Large Scale Recording and Modulation in the Nervous System (U01). This 3 year grant has beenbeing used to improve the firm's existing electrode microdrives and add optogentic stimulation capability to the design. Several improvements have beenmade to the electrode microdrive design. The actuator block is now 3D printed allowing a form fitting bottom surface, curved electrode holes to reach tighter inter-electrode spacing and a more reliable actuator design. The travel distance has also been increased to 42mm which allows electrodes to be driven to the ventral surface of a macaque brain. Also designed and built has been a 32 channel drive with 18 optrodes and 14 electrodes. Final revision being bench tested subsequently to being tested in-vivo.
