Patent ID: 8652187

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a plurality of vertical cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) including a first VCSEL that emits pulsed light having a first wavelength, a second VCSEL that emits pulsed light having the first wavelength, a third VCSEL that emits pulsed light having a second wavelength, and a fourth VCSEL that emits pulsed light having the second wavelength; a plurality of output optics operatively coupled to the plurality of VCSELs including first output optics coupled to the first VCSEL, second output optics coupled to the second VCSEL, third output optics coupled to the third VCSEL, and fourth output optics coupled to the fourth VCSEL; one or more driver circuits operatively coupled to the plurality of VCSELs and configured to provide drive power required to operate the plurality of VCSELs; a control circuit operatively coupled to the one or more driver circuits and configured to control emission of the pulsed light from the first, second, third, and fourth VCSELs; and a cuff light-delivery system configured to wrap around neural tissue of an animal and to direct the pulsed light emitted from the first VCSEL to trigger action potentials in a first set of one or more nerves in the neural tissue but substantially not trigger action potentials in a second set of one or more other nerves in the neural tissue, wherein the cuff light-delivery system is further configured to direct the pulsed light emitted from the second VCSEL to trigger action potentials in the second set of one or more nerves in the neural tissue but substantially not trigger action potentials in the first set of one or more nerves, wherein the cuff light-delivery system is further configured to direct the pulsed light from the third VCSEL to pass through the first set of one or more nerves to trigger action potentials in a third set of nerves but substantially not trigger action potentials in the first set of one or more nerves or the second set of one or more nerves, and wherein the cuff light-delivery system is further configured to direct the pulsed light from the fourth VCSEL to pass through the second set of one or more nerves to trigger action potentials in a fourth set of nerves but substantially not trigger action potentials in the second set of one or more nerves or the first set of one or more nerves.