Living Neurons.
Powered by Light.
A fabrication platform that 3D-prints self-sustaining organoid intelligence chips — combining perovskite bio-solar lids with multi-electrode arrays — enabling ambient-powered biological computing at a fraction of current costs. Built on the same Rister toolchanger platform developed for Nanosolar Tile.
per cm² ambient light
transmission
silicon AI inference
vs. $25k+ CL1
One Platform, Two Breakthroughs
The Rister toolchanger platform was purpose-built for precision multi-material deposition on flexible substrates. Originally developed for Nanosolar Tile perovskite BIPV fabrication, the same platform — with its heated dispensing, camera-guided alignment, and mid-run tool exchange — maps directly onto the full NeuraSolar Chip fabrication workflow: from multi-electrode array printing to hydrogel seeding to bio-solar lid deposition.
No substrate removal. No cleanroom. No $100k commercial instrument. A single integrated fabrication run from bare substrate to powered organoid chip.
What Makes This Possible
- Mid-run tool exchange with sub-mm coordinate integrity — enables sequential deposition of electrode, biological, and photovoltaic layers on one substrate
- Camera-guided organoid placement — fiducial referencing ensures each organoid contacts multiple electrode recording sites
- Heated dispensing at 60°C with PTFE fluid paths — compatible with hydrogel precursors, perovskite inks, and biocompatible electrode materials
- Low-temperature perovskite processing at ≤100°C — safe for biological substrate environments and culture chamber materials
- Sterile, closed-loop fluid management — automated media exchange keeps organoids viable without contamination
- In-house fabricated syringe pumps and tool heads — adding channels means printing hardware, not purchasing proprietary components
Platform Capabilities
The NeuraSolar workflow requires sequential deposition of electrically conductive, biologically compatible, and photovoltaically active materials. The Rister platform addresses all three without substrate removal.
7-Step NeuraSolar Chip Fabrication
Complete bio-solar organoid chip fabrication on a single platform — from bare ITO-PET or glass substrate to powered, electrode-interfaced organoid culture — without substrate removal at any step.
MEA Electrode Printing
Conductive traces and multi-electrode array deposited on cleaned substrate. Silver or carbon-based interconnects, then biocompatible electrode material (PEDOT:PSS or gold nanoparticles). UV curing or low-temperature anneal per layer.
Liquid Dispensing Tool UV Curing ToolCulture Chamber Fabrication
Structural sidewalls and shallow well printed in biocompatible PETG around the electrode base. Sealed edges maintain sterility and humidity. Alignment features and media exchange ports integrated.
FDM Extrusion ToolHydrogel Matrix Deposition
Biocompatible hydrogel precursor (Matrigel or collagen-based) precisely dispensed onto electrode array to form a supportive 3D matrix for organoid attachment and growth.
Heated Dispensing Tool · 37°COrganoid Seeding & Placement
Neural progenitor cells or pre-formed mini-organoids aspirated and deposited in controlled droplets onto the electrode array. Camera-guided alignment ensures contact with multiple recording sites. Pick-and-place gripper tool available for larger spheroids.
Liquid Dispensing Tool Camera Inspection ToolOrganoid Maturation (Days–Weeks)
Organoids grow and form functional neural networks in the sealed chamber. Automated media refreshes delivered via dispensing tool on a scheduled cycle. Remote monitoring via camera tool.
Automated Media ExchangeBio-Solar Lid Deposition
Multi-layer perovskite PV stack deposited sequentially over the chamber opening at ≤100°C: UV filter layer → electron transport layer → perovskite absorber (FASnI₃) → hole transport layer → transparent ITO electrode.
Thin-Film Deposition Tool · ≤100°CEncapsulation & Integration
Moisture/oxygen barrier encapsulation. On-chip low-power electronics connected via printed traces: neural signal amplifiers, stimulus delivery microcontrollers, and optional optogenetic feedback loops.
UV Curing ToolBio-Solar Lid Architecture
The bio-solar lid serves dual functions: it harvests ambient photons to power on-chip electronics, while maintaining 55–65% visible light transmission for organoid illumination and optogenetic experiments. All layers solution-processed at ≤100°C.
Transparent Encapsulant
UV-crosslinked moisture/O₂ barrier — protects perovskite and biological interface
Transparent Top Electrode
ITO or graphene-based — electrical collection while maintaining light transmission
Hole Transport Layer
Spiro-OMeTAD or NiO — charge extraction from perovskite absorber
Perovskite Absorber (FASnI₃)
Tin-based, lead-free — ambient-pressure deposited at 60°C via heated dispensing tool
Electron Transport Layer
PCBM or SnO₂ — charge extraction, solution-processed at ≤100°C
UV-Absorbing Filter Layer
ZnO or organic UV blockers — shields cells from damaging wavelengths, passes visible
Culture Chamber / Organoid Layer
Sealed PETG chamber with MEA — living neural organoids in hydrogel matrix
MEA Electrode Array
PEDOT:PSS / gold nanoparticle electrodes on ITO-PET or glass substrate
Biological Computing — Why Now
In 2022, Cortical Labs demonstrated that lab-grown neurons on a silicon chip could teach themselves to play Pong — using a fraction of the energy required by any silicon AI system. Their CL1 device, released in 2025, is the first commercially available biological computer. It costs approximately $25,000 and requires specialized lab infrastructure to operate.
The fabrication bottleneck is the limiting factor. Organoid intelligence chips are not limited by the biology — they are limited by the cost, accessibility, and scalability of chip fabrication. NeuraSolar addresses this directly.
Why Organoid Intelligence
- Neurons consume ~10 fJ per synaptic operation — versus ~1 nJ for a silicon transistor operation — approximately 100,000× more energy efficient
- Biological neural networks learn from dramatically smaller datasets than conventional deep learning models
- 3D organoid architecture enables densities impossible in 2D silicon — billions of synaptic connections in a cubic millimeter
- Inherently adaptive — organoids self-organize, rewire, and learn in response to stimulation without explicit programming
- Potential for personalized medicine applications — patient-derived organoids for drug screening and disease modeling
- Optogenetic compatibility — light-sensitive proteins enable non-contact stimulation and readout through the bio-solar lid
Self-Powered by Ambient Light
The NeuraSolar concept adds a critical capability that no existing organoid platform has: on-chip power generation. The perovskite bio-solar lid converts ambient visible light into usable electricity — typically 1 µW to 1 mW per cm² under indoor or outdoor illumination — while maintaining the optical transparency required for organoid health and optogenetic access.
This closes the loop: the solar lid powers the low-energy neural signal amplifiers and stimulus delivery electronics directly from ambient light, with no cables, no batteries, and no external power supply. A truly off-grid biological computing module.
Power Budget Analysis
- Tin-based FASnI₃ perovskite — lead-free, solution-processable at ≤100°C, compatible with biological substrate temperatures
- 6–9% PCE target under indoor/ambient illumination — sufficient for low-power neural electronics even at conservative efficiency
- 55–65% visible light transmission — organoids remain viable and optogenetically accessible through the active PV layer
- All layers solution-processed at ambient pressure — no vacuum deposition, no high-temperature steps that would damage underlying biology
- Fabrication validated on the Rister platform for Nanosolar Tile — direct technology transfer to bio-solar lid
NeuraSolar vs. Cortical Labs CL1
Cortical Labs has proven the market and the science. NeuraSolar targets a different position: accessible, self-powered, fabrication-platform-first — rather than a premium closed device.
| Attribute | Cortical Labs CL1 | NeuraSolar Chip |
|---|---|---|
| Device cost | ~$25,000 | <$500 target |
| Power source | External power supply | Ambient light (on-chip solar) |
| Fabrication | Proprietary cleanroom process | Open toolchanger platform, no cleanroom |
| Optogenetic access | Limited (opaque lid) | Native (55–65% transparent lid) |
| Scalability | Device-by-device | Platform — print more hardware to scale |
| Substrate | Rigid silicon chip | Flexible ITO-PET or glass |
| Primary moat | Device IP + cloud platform | Fabrication platform + process IP |
| Target buyer | Researchers, enterprise | Distributed labs, DARPA, DOE, NIH |
NeuraSolar is not a competitor to Cortical Labs — it is a potential fab-partner and supply chain. A low-cost, open fabrication platform that produces bio-solar chips at scale is precisely what the organoid intelligence ecosystem needs to grow beyond a handful of premium devices.
The Convergence Moment
Three curves are crossing simultaneously: organoid intelligence has been experimentally validated (Cortical Labs, Johns Hopkins, Lieber Group). Perovskite photovoltaics have reached commercial viability. And additive manufacturing platforms have crossed the threshold for multi-material biological fabrication. NeuraSolar sits at all three intersections.
Primary Market Vectors
- Neuroscience research tools — Low-cost MEA + organoid fabrication kits for academic and biotech labs currently priced out of CL1-class devices
- DARPA BTO programs — Resilient, off-grid bio-hybrid computing platforms for autonomous systems — exactly the self-powered, ambient-energy profile DARPA values
- Pharmaceutical drug screening — Patient-derived organoid chips for CNS drug testing at a cost point enabling high-throughput screening
- Sustainable AI infrastructure — As GPU cluster energy costs become politically untenable, bio-computing offers a credible low-energy alternative for specific inference workloads
- Optogenetics platforms — The transparent solar lid natively enables light-based neural stimulation and readout — a unique capability not available in any current commercial device
Adjacent Application Areas
The NeuraSolar fabrication platform produces the organoid chip as its primary application — but the platform capabilities enable a broader portfolio.
Development Roadmap
NeuraSolar is built on the validated Rister platform, leveraging existing hardware, firmware, and process IP from the Nanosolar Tile program. Development proceeds in parallel with BIPV work, sharing infrastructure costs.
Rister Platform Validation — Complete
Multi-material toolchanger, heated dispensing, camera-guided placement, and fluid management validated with mimic inks. Control software (Printer Designer, Array Management) operational.
MEA Fabrication & Characterization
Print first PEDOT:PSS and gold nanoparticle MEA arrays on ITO-PET. Characterize electrode impedance and signal-to-noise. Establish biocompatible chamber printing workflow.
First Organoid Seeding on Printed MEA
Neural organoid or progenitor cell culture in printed chamber. Demonstrate viability and electrode recording. Lab partnership for electrophysiology characterization.
Bio-Solar Lid Integration
Deposit perovskite PV stack over sealed culture chamber. Measure power output, light transmission, and organoid viability under lid. Validate optogenetic compatibility.
First Closed-Loop Demo — Ambient-Powered Neural Recording
Demonstrate complete NeuraSolar chip: organoid neural activity recorded via MEA, amplified by on-chip electronics powered entirely by the bio-solar lid under ambient lighting.
Funding Targets
NeuraSolar spans multiple funding domains — advanced manufacturing, biological computing, clean energy, and neuroscience instrumentation. This creates multiple entry points for grant and accelerator funding.
Get Involved
Seeking accelerator programs, lab partnerships (organoid culture, electrophysiology characterization), and early-stage investors aligned with synthetic biology, advanced manufacturing, and sustainable computing. Also open to conversations with researchers interested in applying the platform to new biological computing applications.
Partnership Interests
- Academic neuroscience labs with organoid culture and MEA characterization capability — platform provides fabrication, lab provides biological expertise
- Biotech companies developing organ-on-chip or organoid-based drug screening platforms — licensing the fabrication workflow
- DARPA or IARPA program offices exploring bio-hybrid autonomous computing
- Angel investors and family offices with deep tech or longevity/bio portfolio focus