MSc thesis project proposal

[2023] Current driver circuit for power-efficient neural stimulation

Neuroprosthetic devices restore brain functions that might have been lost due to injury or diseases. A well-known example of a neuroprosthetic device is the cochlear implant for deaf patients. Similarly, visual prostheses are being developed to restore the sense of vision in blind patients. Such devices rely on electrical stimulation of a large number of electrodes to activate neurons in the brain.

The devices are fully implantable and need to be powered wirelessly. Therefore, it is important to reduce the power consumption of the implanted electronics to facilitate as much stimulation channels as possible with the available power.

This project targets the development of power-saving methods in current driver circuits for multi-channel electrical stimulation.

Assignment

1st part:  Literature review of driver circuits & power saving approaches for electrical stimulation.

2nd part: Design and verification of power efficient current driver circuit.

Requirements

MSc students in Microelectronics or Biomedical Engineering. Interested students should include their CV, the list of courses attended, and a motivation letter, and send it to Francesc Varkevisser (F.Varkevisser@tudelft.nl), Tiago Costa (t.m.l.dacosta@tudelft.nl) and Wouter Serdijn (w.a.serdijn@tudelft.nl)

Contact

MSc Francesc Varkevisser

Bioelectronics Group

Department of Microelectronics

Last modified: 2022-11-16