Design for an Inexpensive but Effective Cochlear Implant

1998 ◽  
Vol 118 (2) ◽  
pp. 235-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blake S. Wilson ◽  
Stephen Rebscher ◽  
Fan-Gang Zeng ◽  
Robert V. Shannon ◽  
Gerald E. Loeb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Electrode Array ◽  
Sampling Strategy ◽  
Prototype System ◽  
Widespread Application ◽  
Speech Processor ◽  
Monopolar Electrodes ◽  
Implant System

Widespread application of cochlear implants is limited by cost, especially in developing countries. In this article we present a design for a low-cost but effective cochlear implant system. The system includes a speech processor, four pairs of transmitting and receiving coils, and an electrode array with four monopolar electrodes. All implanted components are passive, reducing to a minimum the complexity of manufacture and allowing high reliability. A four-channel continuous interleaved sampling strategy is used for the speech processor. The processor and transmission link have been evaluated in tests with a subject previously implanted with the Ineraid electrode array and percutaneous connector. A prototype of the link, consisting of four pairs of transmitting and external receiving coils, was used, with the outputs of the receiving coils directed to four intracochlear electrodes through the percutaneous connector. The subject achieved speech reception scores with the prototype system that were equivalent to those achieved with a standard laboratory implementation of a continuous interleaved sampling processor with current-controlled stimuli.

Cochlear Implant for Simultaneous Multichannel Stimulation

1987 ◽  
Vol 96 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 67-69
Author(s):  
H. McDermott
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Integrated Circuit ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Electrode Array ◽  
Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor ◽  
Preliminary Test ◽  
Oxide Semiconductor ◽  
Bipolar Electrode ◽  
Speech Processor ◽  
Bipolar Mode

A new cochlear implant is described that can stimulate up to three bipolar electrode pairs simultaneously. It uses a scala tympani electrode array comprising 20 separate platinum ring electrodes. The bipolar mode of stimulation is used to minimize the spread of current in the cochlea. Nearly all of the electronics of the device are integrated into a single custom-designed large-scale integrated circuit. A prototype of the chip has been fabricated using an advanced complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology. Preliminary test results indicate that the device functions according to its specifications. The implant, which is still under development, will use a single transcutaneous inductive link to receive both controlling data and electric power from an external speech processor.

Modelling of bacterial removal in wastewater storage reservoir for irrigation purposes: a case study in Sicily, Italy

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 169-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Barbagallo ◽  
F. Brissaud ◽  
G.L. Cirelli ◽  
S. Consoli ◽  
P. Xu
Keyword(s):  
Municipal Wastewater ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Storage System ◽  
Wastewater Reuse ◽  
Order Kinetic ◽  
Aquifer Recharge ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
Storage Reservoirs

In arid and semiarid regions the reclamation and reuse of municipal wastewater can play a strategic role in alleviating water resources shortages. Public awareness is growing about the need to recycle and reuse water for increasing supply availability. Many wastewater reuse projects have been put in operation in European and Mediterranean countries adopting extensive treatment systems such as aquifer recharge, lagooning, constructed wetlands, and storage reservoirs, mainly for landscape and agricultural irrigation. In agricultural reuse systems, there is an increasing interest in extensive technologies because of their high reliability, and easy and low cost operation and maintenance. Wastewater storage reservoirs have become the option selected in many countries because of the advantages they present in comparison with other treatment alternatives, namely the coupling of two purposes, stabilization and seasonal regulation. This paper describes an example of a wastewater storage system, built in Caltagirone (Sicily, Italy). The storage results in a tertiary treatment of a continuous inlet flow of activated sludge effluents. The prediction of the microbiological water quality has been evaluated by means of a non-steady-state first-order kinetic model. Single and multiple regressions were applied to determine the main variables that most significantly affected die-off coefficients. The proposed model has been calibrated using the results of a field monitoring carried out during a period from March to October 2000.

scholarly journals An Anti-Counterfeiting Architecture for Traceability System Based on Modified Two-Level Quick Response Codes

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 320
Author(s):  
Shundao Xie ◽  
Hong-Zhou Tan
Keyword(s):  
Product Life Cycle ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Prototype System ◽  
Qr Code ◽  
Quick Response ◽  
Copy Detection ◽  
Traceability System ◽  
Scanned Image ◽  
Promising Solution ◽  
Product Package

Traceability is considered a promising solution for product safety. However, the data in the traceability system is only a claim rather than a fact. Therefore, the quality and safety of the product cannot be guaranteed since we cannot ensure the authenticity of products (aka counterfeit detection) in the real world. In this paper, we focus on counterfeit detection for the traceability system. The risk of counterfeiting throughout a typical product life cycle in the supply chain is analyzed, and the corresponding requirements for the tags, packages, and traceability system are given to eliminate these risks. Based on the analysis, an anti-counterfeiting architecture for traceability system based on two-level quick response codes (2LQR codes) is proposed, where the problem of counterfeit detection for a product is transformed into the problem of copy detection for the 2LQR code tag. According to the characteristics of the traceability system, the generation progress of the 2LQR code is modified, and there is a corresponding improved algorithm to estimate the actual location of patterns in the scanned image of the modified 2LQR code tag to improve the performance of copy detection. A prototype system based on the proposed architecture is implemented, where the consumers can perform traceability information queries by scanning the 2LQR code on the product package with any QR code reader. They can also scan the 2LQR code with a home-scanner or office-scanner, and send the scanned image to the system to perform counterfeit detection. Compared with other anti-counterfeiting solutions, the proposed architecture has advantages of low cost, generality, and good performance. Therefore, it is a promising solution to replace the existing anti-counterfeiting system.

scholarly journals A V-SLAM Guided and Portable System for Photogrammetric Applications

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 2351
Author(s):  
Alessandro Torresani ◽  
Fabio Menna ◽  
Roberto Battisti ◽  
Fabio Remondino
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Motion Blur ◽  
Guidance System ◽  
Prototype System ◽  
Active Sensors ◽  
Localization And Mapping ◽  
Acquisition Speed ◽  
Mobile Mapping System ◽  
Slam Algorithm

Mobile and handheld mapping systems are becoming widely used nowadays as fast and cost-effective data acquisition systems for 3D reconstruction purposes. While most of the research and commercial systems are based on active sensors, solutions employing only cameras and photogrammetry are attracting more and more interest due to their significantly minor costs, size and power consumption. In this work we propose an ARM-based, low-cost and lightweight stereo vision mobile mapping system based on a Visual Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (V-SLAM) algorithm. The prototype system, named GuPho (Guided Photogrammetric System) also integrates an in-house guidance system which enables optimized image acquisitions, robust management of the cameras and feedback on positioning and acquisition speed. The presented results show the effectiveness of the developed prototype in mapping large scenarios, enabling motion blur prevention, robust camera exposure control and achieving accurate 3D results.

scholarly journals EEG-based diagnostics of the auditory system using cochlear implant electrodes as sensors

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Somers ◽  
Christopher J. Long ◽  
Tom Francart
Keyword(s):  
Cochlear Implant ◽  
Auditory Evoked Potentials ◽  
Human Subjects ◽  
Electrode Array ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Hearing Impaired ◽  
Brain Responses ◽  
Listening Environments ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Neural Feedback

AbstractThe cochlear implant is one of the most successful medical prostheses, allowing deaf and severely hearing-impaired persons to hear again by electrically stimulating the auditory nerve. A trained audiologist adjusts the stimulation settings for good speech understanding, known as “fitting” the implant. This process is based on subjective feedback from the user, making it time-consuming and challenging, especially in paediatric or communication-impaired populations. Furthermore, fittings only happen during infrequent sessions at a clinic, and therefore cannot take into account variable factors that affect the user’s hearing, such as physiological changes and different listening environments. Objective audiometry, in which brain responses evoked by auditory stimulation are collected and analysed, removes the need for active patient participation. However, recording of brain responses still requires expensive equipment that is cumbersome to use. An elegant solution is to record the neural signals using the implant itself. We demonstrate for the first time the recording of continuous electroencephalographic (EEG) signals from the implanted intracochlear electrode array in human subjects, using auditory evoked potentials originating from different brain regions. This was done using a temporary recording set-up with a percutaneous connector used for research purposes. Furthermore, we show that the response morphologies and amplitudes depend crucially on the recording electrode configuration. The integration of an EEG system into cochlear implants paves the way towards chronic neuro-monitoring of hearing-impaired patients in their everyday environment, and neuro-steered hearing prostheses, which can autonomously adjust their output based on neural feedback.

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