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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
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Bioelectric Analyses of an Osseointegrated Intelligent Implant Design System for Amputees
Published on: July 15, 2009
Feasibility of prosthetic posture sensing via injectable electronic modules
1A. E. Mann Institute, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA. wtan@rbccorp.com
Summary
Researchers repurposed bionic neuron (BION) antenna coils as magnetic sensors for functional electric stimulation (FES) systems. This innovation offers posture feedback for reanimating paralyzed limbs, enhancing FES control.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neuroscience
- Robotics
Background:
- Functional electric stimulation (FES) aims to reanimate paralyzed limbs.
- Current FES systems lack precise limb posture feedback for control.
- Bionic neurons (BIONs) are miniature, inductively powered implants for FES.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate BION antenna coils as magnetic sensors for posture feedback.
- Develop a system for accurate 6-D position and orientation estimation.
- Enhance FES control for reach-and-grasp tasks.
Main Methods:
- Modeled and canceled nonideal effects in BION antenna coils.
- Employed field warping for accurate magnetic field description.
- Integrated magnetic sensing with MEMS accelerometers and developed a two-step algorithm.
- Utilized sensor fusion for limb segment position and orientation estimation.
Main Results:
- Validated BION coil and transmitting coil models against experimental data.
- Prototype magnetic sensing system demonstrated sufficient accuracy in bench tests.
- Computed 6-D position and orientation from sensor output.
- Proposed sensor fusion algorithm for multi-implant systems.
Conclusions:
- BION antenna coils can be repurposed as magnetic sensors for FES.
- The developed magnetic sensing system shows promise for controlling reach-and-grasp tasks.
- Sensor fusion with multiple BION implants could provide comprehensive limb control.
