Devices

A subcutaneous titanium-housed system that streams 100 channels of broadband cortical data wirelessly and charges through the skin. Brown University, tested in moving primates, 2013.

Device — Intracortical

Implantable wireless neural interface (Brown, 2013)

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wireless · implantable · hermetic · transcutaneous charging · Brown · Nurmikko · academic · preclinical

Implantable wireless neural interface (Brown, 2013)

One-line verdict: An early fully implanted electronics package that replaces the percutaneous connector with a 24 Mbps wireless link and an inductive charger, designed with human clinical use in mind.

Quick tags: Recording · Intracortical · Species: Nonhuman primate · Published: 2013

Overview

What it is: A neural interface microsystem in a compact, subcutaneous, hermetically sealed titanium enclosure. It connects to a 510(k)-approved, 100-element silicon microelectrode array through a custom hermetic feedthrough.

Signal chain: A custom ASIC amplifies (0.1 Hz to 7.8 kHz, gain of 200) and multiplexes the signals, which are then digitized and packaged for transmission. Data go out at 24 Mbps over a frequency-shift-keyed link at 3.2 GHz and 3.8 GHz to a receiver 1 m away, chosen as a point-to-point link for human clinical use.

Power: An embedded medical-grade rechargeable Li-ion battery runs 7 hours continuously. It recharges through an inductive transcutaneous link at 2 MHz.

Why it matters: The percutaneous connector is the main infection and durability risk of the Utah-array BCI systems. This is a direct engineering answer to it.

Spec Card Grid

Identity

  • Authors: David A. Borton, Ming Yin, Juan Aceros, Arto Nurmikko
  • Org: Brown University
  • Published: J Neural Eng 10(2):026010, 21 February 2013
  • Species: moving primates (per the title)

Architecture

  • Array: 100-element silicon MEA
  • Enclosure: subcutaneous, hermetically sealed titanium
  • Bandwidth and rate: 0.1 Hz to 7.8 kHz, 24 Mbps
  • Radio: 3.2 GHz and 3.8 GHz FSK, 1 m link
  • Battery: 7 h continuous, inductive recharge at 2 MHz

Evidence and limits

  • Shown: wireless recording in moving primates (details in the paper)
  • Not covered here: human implantation

References