Patent ID: 8864806

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable memory having a stored mapping of stimulation signals to responses stored therein; a plurality of laser light sources operatively coupled to the computer-readable memory and configured to generate a plurality of independently controlled laser light signals from selected ones of the plurality of laser light sources based on the stored mapping; a plurality of concentric waveguide bundles including a first waveguide bundle, and a second waveguide bundle arranged to encircle the first waveguide bundle, wherein the plurality of waveguide bundles is operatively coupled to the plurality of laser light sources, wherein the plurality of waveguide bundles is configured to emit the plurality of independently controlled laser light signals toward a first plurality of peripheral nerves in a nerve bundle of an animal in order to independently and separately optically stimulate selected ones of the first plurality of peripheral nerves of the animal, wherein the first waveguide bundle includes a first plurality of waveguides that have a first length and are arranged around a longitudinal axis, wherein the second waveguide bundle includes a second plurality of waveguides that have a second length and are arranged around the longitudinal axis, and wherein the first length is not equal to the second length; a controller operatively coupled to the plurality of laser light sources and configured to selectively control selected ones of the plurality of laser light signals emitted from selected ones of the first and second plurality of waveguides, wherein the selective control of the plurality of laser light signals provides controlled optical stimulation to the selected ones of the first plurality of peripheral nerves of the animal that independently triggers action potentials in the selected ones of the first plurality of peripheral nerves; and a plurality of insulated electrical conductors extending along the first waveguide bundle and operatively coupled to the controller, the plurality of electrical conductors including a first electrical conductor connected to a first exposed electrode and a second electrical conductor connected to a second exposed electrode, wherein the controller is configured to selectively apply an electrical signal to the first electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor to create an electric field across a volume of tissue of the animal between the first electrode and the second electrode.