Wireless nerve stimulator the size of a grain of rice
Tiny nerve stimulator could treat chronic pain or neurological diseases.
A wireless nerve stimulator the size of a grain of rice has been developed by engineers at Rice University, USA.
Collaborating with a range of Texas Medical Center institutions, USA, the team developed the tiny implant to treat neruological diseases or block pain. MagnetoElectric Bio ImplanT (ME-BIT) is fed into a blood vessel near the targeted nerve, and powered by a low-powered magnetic transmitter outside the body.
The 0.8mm2 implant could replace larger units used for Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, chronic pain, hearing loss and paralysis.
The programmable implant has a strip of magnetoelectric film that converts magnetic energy to electrical power. There is a capacitor and a 'system-on-a-chip' microprocessor to translate magnetic field modulations into data. The components are held within a 3D-printed capsule and encased in epoxy.
According to the researchers, the magnetic field of 1mT is easily tolerated by tissues and that the maximum 4mW of power is sufficient for many neural stimulation applications.
