The advanced Combi 40+ cochlear implant

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Neuroscience
• Audiology

Background:

• Cochlear implants (CIs) are vital for restoring hearing in individuals with severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss.
• Advancements in CI technology focus on enhancing speech perception and sound quality through improved stimulation strategies.
• High-rate pulsatile stimulation offers potential benefits for more natural auditory processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel 12-channel cochlear implant (CI) designed for high-rate pulsatile stimulation strategies.
• To detail the technical specifications and capabilities of the developed CI system.
• To introduce integrated features for enhanced performance and safety.

Main Methods:

• Development of a 12-channel CI system capable of generating symmetric biphasic current pulses up to 18.18 kpulses/second.
• Implementation of transcutaneous data and power transfer via a single radiofrequency (RF) channel at 600 kBit/second.
• Integration of a mixed analog/digital CMOS-ASIC for stimulus generation and a self-calibrating back telemetry system.

Main Results:

• The CI system supports stimulation pulse amplitudes from 1.5 microA to 1.5 mA.
• A fully digital data transfer format and a single RF channel facilitate efficient data and power transmission.
• The implant includes safety features like output capacitors and a telemetry system for impedance and field distribution estimation.
• The compact ceramic package measures 33.50 x 23.40 x 3.95 mm3.

Conclusions:

• The presented 12-channel CI is a sophisticated auditory prosthetic device optimized for high-rate pulsatile stimulation.
• The integrated digital data transfer, RF power/data link, and self-calibrating telemetry represent significant technological advancements.
• This CI technology holds promise for improving hearing restoration outcomes and addressing the needs of CI users.