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Laser Driven Miniature Diamond Implant for Wireless Retinal Prostheses.
Arman Ahnood1,2, Ross Cheriton3,4, Anne Bruneau4
1School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
Advanced Biosystems
|October 21, 2020
Summary
This study presents a wireless, miniature epiretinal stimulator implant powered by near-infrared light. This novel design enables sophisticated, minimally invasive visual prosthetics with enhanced functionality.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neuroscience
- Ophthalmology
Background:
- Epiretinal stimulation is a key strategy for visual prosthetics.
- Existing implants face challenges with miniaturization, power delivery, and surgical complexity.
- Wireless, minimally invasive solutions are needed for advanced visual restoration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and demonstrate a wireless, miniature epiretinal stimulator implant.
- To utilize optical powering and control for enhanced functionality and reduced invasiveness.
- To develop a compact implant with high electrode density and sophisticated stimulation capabilities.
Main Methods:
- Development of a miniature epiretinal implant (4.6 mm x 3.7 mm x 0.9 mm).
- Optical powering using an ultrahigh efficiency photovoltaic (PV) cell (55% monochromatic power conversion efficiency) and near-infrared wavelengths.
- Control via an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) with a digital control unit and programming through a single photodiode.
- High-density integration using diamond packaging technology for 256 electrodes.
- On-board photodetection circuitry with 3.7 MHz bandwidth for data telemetry.
Main Results:
- Successful benchtop operation of the wireless miniature epiretinal stimulator implant.
- Demonstration of optical powering and control using safe near-infrared illumination.
- Achieved high-density integration of 256 electrodes within a compact package.
- Validated the use of an ultrahigh efficiency PV cell for implant power.
- Showcased forward data telemetry for stimulation parameters.
Conclusions:
- The developed implant offers a route to fully wireless, miniaturized, and minimally invasive visual prosthetics.
- Optical powering and control significantly reduce implant size and surgical complexity compared to coil-based systems.
- The combination of implant miniaturization and a dedicated stimulator chip enables flexible and sophisticated stimulation strategies.
- This technology advances the development of next-generation visual neuroprostheses.
