G.J. Suaning

Fabrication of implantable microelectrode arrays by laser cutting of silicone rubber and platinum foil

A new method for fabrication of microelectrode arrays comprised of traditional implant materials is presented. The main construction principle is the use of spun-on medical grade silicone rubber as insulating substrate material and platinum foil as conductor (tracks, pads and electrodes). The silicone rubber and the platinum foil are patterned by laser cutting using an Nd:YAG laser and a microcontroller-driven, stepper-motor operated x-y table. The method does not require expensive clean room facilities and offers an extremely short design-to-prototype time of below 1 day. First prototypes demonstrate a minimal achievable feature size of about 30 microm.

Visual acuity measurement of prosthetic vision: a virtual-reality simulation study

A virtual-reality simulation tested prosthetic visual acuity for both rectangular and hexagonal phosphene grids. Thirteen normally sighted, untrained subjects were required to identify the Landolt C optotype over ten sessions. Overall performance, performance by filter setting (image analysis), and performance by size and orientation of the Landolt C optotype are reported. The results indicated that the hexagonal grid had a slight (4.1%) but statistically significant (p < 0.0001) performance advantage over the rectangular grid for correct identification of the testing symbol. It was also observed that both the phosphene grids had distinct performance profiles relating to their respective spatial orientation. Over the course of the ten sessions, learning afforded subjects an averaged improved performance of 10%.

A Dual Band Wireless Power and FSK Data Telemetry for Biomedical Implants

A dual-link coil arrangement and a novel digital frequency-shift keying (FSK) demodulator are presented. The primary application of this system is for inductively powered biomedical implants. The implant is provided with data and power via two separate links. Two sets of coils are used in an arrangement such that the magnetic interference between the two pairs is minimized. The demodulator circuitry presented relies solely on delaying elements, utilizing a delayed digital FSK signal to sample the original digital FSK signal. A synchronized clock can be derived from the FSK signals alone, however, by utilizing the power signal to obtain a synchronized clock, a higher data rate and a decrease in complexity of the receiver circuitry can be achieved. The system was implemented on the bench and experimentally tested at a data rate of 2.083 Mbps with zero bit error rate while receiving a 4.17/6.25 MHz FSK carrier signal synchronized with 2.083 MHz clock derived from the power carrier. The power link was set to provide 58 mW.

Simulation of parallel current injection for use in a vision prosthesis

A 2D computational model was developed to simulate the distribution of voltage arising from multiple parallel current sources connected to a bipolar electrode array and immersed in a bath of physiological saline. The model was solved using a custom spectral collocation method. Pairs of electrodes placed in various locations within the bath were simulated in order to quantify return current interaction between parallel sources. A more complex electrode array geometry based on an anticipated hexagonal electrode array - to be used in a vision prosthesis - was also investigated. The guarding affect of the hexagonal array, as opposed to more traditional bipolar electrode arrangements was clearly demonstrated

Bank note recognition for the vision impaired

Blind Australians find great difficulty in recognising bank notes. Each note has the same feel, with no Braille markings, irregular edges or other tangible features. In Australia, there is only one device available that can assist blind people recognise their notes. Internationally, there are devices available; however they are expensive, complex and have not been developed to cater for Australian currency. This paper discusses a new device, the MoneyTalker that takes advantage of the largely different colours and patterns on each Australian bank note and recognises the notes electronically, using the reflection and transmission properties of light. Different coloured lights are transmitted through the inserted note and the corresponding sensors detect distinct ranges of values depending on the colour of the note. Various classification algorithms were studied and the final algorithm was chosen based on accuracy and speed of recognition. The MoneyTalker has shown an accuracy of more than 99%. A blind subject has tested the device and believes that it is usable, compact and affordable. Based on the devices that are available currently in Australia, the MoneyTalker is an effective alternative in terms of accuracy and usability.

Psychophysics of Prosthetic Vision: I. Visual Scanning and Visual Acuity

Recipients of vision prosthesis prototypes have reported electrically elicited visual perceptions as discrete dots of light (phosphenes). Phosphenes construct the scenery in discontinuous small isolated patches, resulting in visual information deficit to a large portion of the visual field. Visual scanning therefore plays an important role in the utility of prosthetic vision. In a psychophysical study, normally sighted subjects undertook a visual acuity task in a simulation of prosthetic vision with scanning facilitated by head movements. Subjects who adopted the circular scanning technique (4/12) correctly identified >60% of the test items, compared to subjects with no particular scanning patterns (3/12) with <50%. Increased head movement velocity was correlated to increased performance; at optimal scanning velocities, we estimated a 50% increase in identification rate or a two-fold improvement in visual acuity threshold compared to otherwise complete lack of scanning movement. Improved performance likely resulted from positive interactions with the temporal processes of the human visual system, which may as much as double the spatial information of that originally afforded by the phosphene lattice

Current Distribution During Parallel Stimulation: Implications for an Epiretinal Neuroprosthesis

A simplified mathematical model has been developed in order to better understand local current spread when multiple simultaneous current sources are used in an epiretinal neuroprosthesis. To test the model, pairs of platinum electrodes of 430 mum diameter and an intra-pair spacing of 1 mm between centers, were arranged either in-line or in parallel, in a bath of physiological saline. Each pair was separated by distances from 1 mm to 6 mm. The currents in each electrode in the bath were measured and compared with the computational model of the same arrangement. This approach allowed us to quantify return current interaction between parallel sources. As predicted, with parallel electrodes and matching currents in each electrode pair, there is no current cross-talk. However with imbalanced current sources, significant cross-talk is evident. The cross-talk decreases as a function of electrode pair separation. The implication of this work in the design of an epiretinal neuroprosthesis is discussed

A retinal neuroprosthesis design based on simultaneous current injection

We present an epiretinal neuroprosthesis design based on a hexagonally-latticed 98 electrode array and the capacity to multiplex up to 14 simultaneous current sources. The digital and analogue electronics required to perform this function and how this would be incorporated into an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) are described. Simulation data and data from saline bath testing of a platinum/silicone electrode array (and associated driving electronics) are presented. Simulations were performed using a 2D computational model solved using a custom collocation method. The guarding affect of the hexagonal array is investigated and shown in simple simulations to be an approach worthy of further investigation.

The Design and Testing of an Epi-Retinal Vision Prosthesis Neurostimulator Capable of Concurrent Parallel Stimulation

An application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) neurostimulator capable of stimulating multiple electrodes in unison has been designed and tested. The ASIC utilizes multiple matched current sinks and sources to provide localized stimulation and is designed to drive electrodes organized in a hexagonal mosaic. This organization allows each stimulating electrode to be surrounded by up to six return electrodes, effectively isolating each stimulation site. The ASIC was manufactured using a high-voltage complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor process, which allows up to 20 V to be applied across the circuitry. This provides the greatest versatility for testing with electrodes and tissues of varying impedances in-situ and allows the device to be used in other neurostimulation applications such as functional electrical stimulation. The design has been thoroughly tested and meets all the design specifications

Microelectronic Retinal Prosthesis: II. Use of High-Voltage CMOS in Retinal Neurostimulators

For part 1, see ibid., p. Z004336-9 (2006). This paper presents the design, implementation, and simulated and measured results of a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor neurostimulator implemented in a 0.35 mum high-voltage process. To allow for a high stimulation voltage, and hence the greatest versatility of the neurostimulator in situ, a high-voltage CMOS process was used. The neurostimulator utilized current sources and sinks to simultaneously deliver and recover charge. It has the ability to deliver stimulus in three output current ranges using a current sink only, current source only, or both a current source and sink combined to provide focused stimulation. The worst case integral non-linearity and differential non-linearity errors were 0.2 LSB and 0.1 LSB respectively, and the current source and sink turn-on times were under 500 ns, providing fast switching time in response to stimuli instructions. The total die area was under 13 mm2, well within the area constraints of our implantable vision prosthesis device