Project Grant R15NS149247

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke awarded New Jersey Institute of Technology $558,167 on July 25, 2026, under the Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders program (CFDA 93.853) to develop an AI-driven robotic transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) system for high-resolution cortical mapping.

The project addresses spatial inaccuracy in conventional manual TMS systems, which typically introduce positioning errors exceeding 5–11 millimeters across sessions and create operator dependence that compromises cortical mapping reliability. The recipient will engineer a six-degree-of-freedom robotic arm integrated with a closed-loop Gaussian-process Bayesian optimization algorithm that uses motor-evoked potential feedback to automatically position and adjust the TMS coil in real time. The system targets 2 millimeter spatial and 2-degree orientation precision—a tenfold improvement over manual methods—and aims to reduce stimulation requirements by 4–5 times, decreasing motor hotspot localization pulses from approximately 50–100 to 17.

The project comprises three specific aims: development of the robotic TMS coil holder with integrated safety systems and brain phantoms for validation; implementation of the Bayesian optimization algorithm; and validation of cortical mapping performance using sophisticated brain phantoms that simulate motor-evoked potential responses. Phantom-based validation will enable comprehensive system characterization under controlled conditions while establishing the foundation for future human studies applications.

The award provides immersive research training for three undergraduate students. Performance occurs in New Jersey, with a period of performance extending from July 25, 2026, through June 30, 2029.