An improved system approach towards future cochlear implants
Paper in proceeding, 2013

Cochlear implants (CIs) have been used for many years to restore hearing for deaf patients. Unfortunately, today's CIs are still bulky devices and uncomfortable to wear. In this paper we present three innovations that ultimately should pave the way to a fully implantable bionic ear. First a microfabrication process used to fabricate the polymer metal microelectrode array for auditory nerve stimulation is discussed. Subsequently, a compact biphasic programmable stimulator chip to be used along with this electrode array is presented. By using a double loop feedback circuit topology, the circuit provides a precise stimulation current while requiring only little voltage headroom. The resulting low power consumption and reduced chip area allow for integration of the electronic circuitry onto the electrode array. Finally, as reliability and data transmission rate are two of the most critical issues in CI devices, we propose a software method to improve both data rate and reliability of transmitting digital data from the external part of the CI to the internal part with negligible power consumption. © 2013 IEEE.

Author

N.S. Lawand

Delft University of Technology

W. Ngamkham

Delft University of Technology

G. Nazarian

Delft University of Technology

P.J.F. French

Delft University of Technology

W.A. Serdijn

Delft University of Technology

Georgi Gaydadjiev

Delft University of Technology

J.J. Briaire

Leiden University

J.H.M. Frijns

Leiden University

Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS

1557-170X (ISSN)

5163-5166

Subject Categories

Computer Engineering

Computer Systems

Areas of Advance

Information and Communication Technology

Driving Forces

Innovation and entrepreneurship

DOI

10.1109/EMBC.2013.6610711

More information

Latest update

6/28/2019