Validation of Magnet-Free Wireless Charging and Communication for Intra-body Devices

Cochlear implants (CIs), which electrically stimulate the auditory nerve to repair hearing in people with severe-to-profound hearing loss, are used for more than 40-years.

However, conventional CIs have major drawbacks, one of which is the use of magnet in the implanted unit of the CI to help perfect alignment of the coils that are used for RF Link between external and implanted units.

However, using magnets prevents the CI users from accessing some of the medical treatment and examination methods like MRI, and may lead to damage on the skin.

To eliminate the drawbacks of conventional CIs including the magnet utilization, we introduced FLAMENCO concept, which has demonstrated that a fully implantable cochlear implant (FICI) mimicking the natural hearing mechanism of the ear is feasible.

In the ERC FLAMENCO project, we developed the FICI as a magnet-free device, which necessitated development of a novel wireless power and data transfer (WPDT) application to minimize transfer losses, thus the duration for utilization of external wireless unit to charge the implanted rechargeable battery.

By introducing a unique multi-mode rectifier circuit charging the load for an extended coupling range and eliminating the requirement of alignment magnets, the efficiency loss is reduced and the charging efficiency is maximized.

In the ARIA project, which stems from the developments within the ERC FLAMENCO project, we will perform technological and commercial validation of WPDT unit according to the market standards; then optimize the unit for fabricating a demonstrator to be integrated to the FICI. We will also look into the potential for integration with other Active Implantable Medical Devices (AIMDs).

If implemented successfully, the ARIA WPDT not only would be a major step for commercialization of our FICI which has already triggered interest of CI makers, users and investors, but also could lead to new applications of AIMDs.