Neuroprosthetic devices are powerful tools providing functional enhancement for individuals with central nervous system disorders, such as spinal cord injury and stroke. Life sustaining and improving functions such as breathing, standing, walking, grasping, reaching, micturition, and defecation have all been clinically demonstrated using neuroprostheses. Existing implanted neuroprosthetic systems utilize considerable external powering and signal processing, and each system must be customized to the specific application for which it is intended, severely limiting progress in the field and delaying the introduction of new technology to the end user. Our Biomedical Research Partnership (BRP) project addresses this issue through the development of a Networked Neuroprosthetic System (NNPS). The NNPS is based on a network of small implanted modules, distributed throughout the body, and linked to a centralized power source. The modules are networked through a network cable that distributes power to each module from a central rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Each module contains processing capabilities, communicates with other modules via the network cable, and is reprogrammable over the network via a central transcutaneous link. The NNPS is extremely flexible and meets the technical needs of a broad range of neuroprosthetic applications through the selection of the appropriate modules. We have made significant progress in the first two years of the current BRP including: addressing critical concepts and designs that required new knowledge and/or techniques (including forming the necessary partnerships), establishing overall design topology and requirements, identifying needed system components (hardware and software), developing network communication protocols, addressing powering issues, and initiating hardware designs and prototypes. In this proposed project we will: finalize the NNPS system design, fabricate components, conduct in-vitro and in-vivo qualification and evaluation, develop research and clinician based software tools, and initiate feasibility studies in human subjects. We will produce complete functional systems, including a stimulator for muscle-based electrical stimulation, and a sensor module that records and processes myoelectric signals. In the fourth and fifth years of the project, we will realize the first configurations of the NNPS in individuals with spinal cord injury to provide enhanced physical function. This human evaluation will demonstrate the feasibility of the NNPS and will provide the foundation for broader clinical application of the NNPS. We believe the NNPS is a revolutionary contribution to the field of neuroprosthetics; it is easily configured for current and anticipated neuroprosthetic applications, accommodates new innovations by participants in the field, eliminates external components, and can be implemented using minimally invasive surgical techniques.
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