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13 - Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Metallurgy and Materials
University College London
An integrated implantable stimulator that is fail-safe without off-chip blocking-capacitors
Safety is of paramount importance in implanted devices. For nerve or brain stimulators, there is a risk of tissue damage due to electrolysis by direct current. This paper is the world’s first implementation of an integrated stimulator that is “fail-safe” without off-chip blocking capacitors, paving the way for the development of micropackaged implants that could be safely sited close to the target tissue (e.g. inside the spinal canal). The ideas contributed to award of €10M EU NEUWalk project (www.neuwalk.eu - €1.2M to UCL, PI: Demosthenous) to pioneer advanced neuroprosthetic devices to restore motor functions after severe spinal cord injury.