MINIATURE IMPLANTABLE TRANSCUTANEOUS OPTICAL DATA LINK

BETWEEN COCHLEAR IMPLANTS AND QUADRI/PARAPLEGICS, THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 700,000 PERSONS IN THE U. S. WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM PROSTHETICS UTILIZING NEURAL OR NEUROMUSCULAR STIMULATION. SUCH SYSTEMS REQUIRE IMPLANTABLE, HIGH-SPEED, BI-DIRECTIONAL, TRANSCUTANEOUS DATA TRANSMISSION IMMUNE TO VARIATIONS IN THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT. TO DATE, DATA LINKS INDEVELOPMENT ARE NOT PROJECTED TO MEET THE COMBINED NEEDS OF SPEED AND INTEGRITY. THIS GRANT IS A PROOF-OF-CONCEPT PHASEI FOR AN OPTICAL DATA LINK WITH TRANSMISSION CAPABILITY IN THE MEGABIT PER SECOND RANGE. THE PHASE I PROGRAM WILL INCORPORATE A PROTOTYPE DATA LINK SYSTEM INTO AN OF-THE-SHELF TRANSCUTANEOUS ENERGY TRANSMISSION SYSTEM VERIFY ITS PERFORMANCE. THE DESIGN IS FLEXIBLE IN NATURE TO ALLOW SIMPLE INCORPORATION INTO A VARIETY OF PROSTHETIC DEVICES. PHASE II WOULD COMPLETE SUCH AN INCORPORATION, MINIATURIZE, AND DO IN VIVO TESTING. BETWEEN COCHLEAR IMPLANTS AND QUADRI/PARAPLEGICS, THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 700,000 PERSONS IN THE U. S. WHO WOULD BENEFIT FROM PROSTHETICS UTILIZING NEURAL OR NEUROMUSCULAR STIMULATION. SUCH SYSTEMS REQUIRE IMPLANTABLE, HIGH-SPEED, BI-DIRECTIONAL, TRANSCUTANEOUS DATA TRANSMISSION IMMUNE TO VARIATIONS IN THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENT. TO DATE, DATA LINKS INDEVELOPMENT ARE NOT PROJECTED TO MEET THE COMBINED NEEDS OF SPEED AND INTEGRITY. THIS GRANT IS A PROOF-OF-CONCEPT PHASEI FOR AN OPTICAL DATA LINK WITH TRANSMISSION CAPABILITY IN THE MEGABIT PER SECOND RANGE. THE PHASE I PROGRAM WILL INCORPORATE A PROTOTYPE DATA LINK SYSTEM INTO AN OF-THE-SHELF TRANSCUTANEOUS ENERGY TRANSMISSION SYSTEM VERIFY ITS PERFORMANCE. THE DESIGN IS FLEXIBLE IN NATURE TO ALLOW SIMPLE INCORPORATION INTO A VARIETY OF PROSTHETIC DEVICES. PHASE II WOULD COMPLETE SUCH AN INCORPORATION, MINIATURIZE, AND DO IN VIVO TESTING.