An implantable, designed-for-human-use peripheral nerve stimulation and recording system for advanced prosthetics

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroprosthetics
• Implantable Medical Devices

Background:

• Complex suture prostheses necessitate advanced human integration for sensory and position feedback.
• Current systems often lack the sophistication for nuanced neural feedback and control.
• The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) HAPTIX program seeks innovative solutions for human-use prosthetics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a micro-size active implantable system for high-degree-of-freedom neural feedback.
• To demonstrate a potential solution for sensory stimulation and motor control in advanced prostheses.
• To discuss the electrical and mechanical challenges and solutions for human-use implantable devices.

Main Methods:

• Development of a micro-size active implantable system.
• Integration of many-degree-of-freedom neural feedback capabilities.
• Addressing electrical and mechanical design challenges for human implantation.

Main Results:

• A functional micro-size active implantable system was demonstrated.
• The system provides neural feedback for both sensory stimulation and motor control.
• Solutions were identified for meeting performance and human-use standards (ISO 14708).

Conclusions:

• The developed micro-size active implantable system offers a viable solution for advanced prosthetic integration.
• The system addresses critical challenges in achieving sophisticated neural feedback and motor control.
• This work contributes to the development of FDA-acceptable, aspirin-size active implantable devices for human use.