Multimed: An Integrated, Multi-Application Platform for the Real-Time Recording and Sub-Millisecond Processing of...

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Physiology

Background:

• Understanding electrophysiology is crucial in modern biology and medicine.
• Excitable cell mechanics require flexible electrophysiology setups for investigation.
• Existing systems may lack the necessary real-time processing and configurability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and present Multimed, a versatile hardware platform for real-time biosignal recording and processing.
• To demonstrate Multimed's capability for low-latency, multi-channel signal processing.
• To showcase its application in open- and closed-loop experiments and device prototyping.

Main Methods:

• Developed Multimed, a hardware platform featuring a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).
• Implemented a custom library of generic processing units for flexible digital signal processing.
• Utilized full-hardware signal processing for low latency and constant processing times.
• Achieved sub-millisecond processing and decision-making on 64 channels.

Main Results:

• Multimed provides constant latency and sub-millisecond processing on 64 channels.
• The FPGA-based design allows for reconfigurable electrophysiology systems and VLSI medical device prototyping.
• The system supports open- and closed-loop experiments with microsecond-level feedback control.

Conclusions:

• Multimed is a highly configurable, multi-channel system for real-time biosignal processing.
• Its low latency and feedback capabilities are suitable for advanced neuroscience and diabetes research.
• The platform serves as a valuable tool for both research and the development of implantable medical devices.