Open Hardware
Part of our work is designing custom solutions for systems neuroscience experiments. Sometimes they don't fit our criteria for becoming a product. Because they can still be useful to a significant number of labs, we do the extra work to share them as Open Hardware. We also share designs from the open source collaborations we're part of. Beyond its main features (accessibility, transparency, customizability), open hardware with 3D-printed parts also promotes sustainability: you can print replacement parts and extend a tool's lifetime. To keep the parts accessible in a future-proof, open way, we host them in a collection on Zenodo.
Alongside the ready-to-manufacture files, we share editable design files, manufacturing tips, context for the design idea, and how it's used in the lab. Unless otherwise specified, everything is distributed under the CERN OHL-S license.
DREAM implant: a lightweight, modular, cost-effective implant system for chronic electrophysiology in head-fixed and freely behaving mice
Developed with multiple labs, this is a lightweight, cost-effective probe implant system for chronic electrophysiology in rodents, optimized for ease of use, probe recovery, experimental versatility, and compatibility with behavior.
This project builds on the R2 system for silicon probe implantation (available here, methods paper here), and introduces a new head-fixation system and headgear.
TD drive: a parametric, open-source implant for multi-area electrophysiological recordings in behaving and sleeping rats
Developed with the Genzel lab at Radboud University, this 3D-printable rat implant supports symmetric, bilateral wire electrode recordings, currently in up to ten distributed brain areas at once.
2P headplate and light-blocking shield
Designed to provide simple, reliable light shielding for two-photon imaging in awake head-fixed mice.
Metal reusable microdrive
Developed by the Buzsáki lab, this microdrive can be reused multiple times and allows probe reuse too (3+ times; impedance becomes the limiting factor). The paper, with assembly instructions, is here. A dedicated site supports users of the microdrive and its accessories. We're collaborating on design (user experience) and bulk manufacturing.
Download files from the Buzsaki lab GitHub (distributed under the GNU GPLv3 license)
Base for spherical treadmill
Modified from a design by the Technocenter, Radboud University, this 3D-printed base distributes compressed air evenly to support a floating styrofoam ball. Two sensors measure rotation speed. Commonly used with virtual reality setups.