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A Fully-Implantable MEMS-Based Autonomous Cochlear Implant

Objective

Sensorineural impairment, representing the majority of the profound deafness, can be restored using cochlear implants (CIs), which electrically stimulates the auditory nerve to repair hearing in people with severe-to-profound hearing loss. A conventional CI consists of an external microphone, a sound processor, a battery, an RF transceiver pair, and a cochlear electrode. The major drawback of conventional CIs is that, they replace the entire natural hearing mechanism with electronic hearing, even though most parts of the middle ear are operational. Also, the power hungry units such as microphone and RF transceiver cause limitations in continuous access to sound due to battery problems. Besides, damage risk of external components especially if exposed to water and aesthetic concerns are other critical problems. Limited volume of the middle ear is the main obstacle for developing fully implantable CIs.
FLAMENCO proposes a fully implantable, autonomous, and low-power CI, exploiting the functional parts of the middle ear and mimicking the hair cells via a set of piezoelectric cantilevers to cover the daily acoustic band. FLAMENCO has a groundbreaking nature as it revolutionizes the operation principle of CIs. The implant has five main units: i) piezoelectric transducers for sound detection and energy harvesting, ii) electronics for signal processing and battery charging, iii) an RF coil for tuning the electronics to allow customization, iv) rechargeable battery, and v) cochlear electrode for neural stimulation. The utilization of internal energy harvesting together with the elimination of continuous RF transmission, microphone, and front-end filters makes this system a perfect candidate for next generation autonomous CIs. In this project, a multi-frequency self-powered implant for in vivo operation will be implemented, and the feasibility will be proven through animal tests.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2015-CoG

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Host institution

MIDDLE EAST TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 993 750,00
Address
DUMLUPINAR BULVARI 1
06800 Ankara
Türkiye

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Region
Batı Anadolu Ankara Ankara
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 993 750,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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