Project description
Micro and nano-systems
Smart medical implants to restore bodily functions
Intelligent medical implants being developed in Europe promise to help the blind see, make the deaf hear and allow stroke victims to regain use of their limbs.
Those remarkable applications are among several uses proposed for a series of intelligent implants created by researchers working in the HealthyAims project. They have turned to new microsystems, biomaterials and wireless communication technologies to tackle some common but extremely debilitating medical problems.
The tiny medical systems developed by the team include cochlear implants to improve hearing, retina implants to restore limited vision to people suffering from some forms of blindness, and devices that use electrical signals to stimulate muscles so stroke victims can regain movement. In addition, they have developed a variety of sensors to monitor physical activity, as well as pressure on the brain and in the bladder.
Targeting common, debilitating conditions
The devices, which are implanted in the body and exchange information wirelessly with a wearable computer or a remote base station, could improve the lives of people suffering from conditions such as stroke, blindness, deafness, incontinence, glaucoma or hydrocephalus, among many others.
Research suggests that about half of the population of Western countries – an estimated 500 million people – can expect to suffer at some point in their lives from at least one of the medical conditions targeted by the HealthAims project.
Stroke victims who have lost the use of an arm, for example, will benefit from a functional electrical stimulation (FES) implant developed by the researchers. The implant stimulates muscles with electrical signals, allowing those affected to open and close their hands and grasp objects.
Providing power and sharing information
To create electronic implants that can function autonomously, the researchers had to overcome two hurdles. One was the need for independent sources of power for the implant. The other obstacle was to design a means of transmitting and receiving information between the implant and an external computer.
To address the first issue, the project partners developed tiny rechargeable batteries as well as a self-sustaining fuel cell that uses the body’s own glucose (blood sugar) to create energy.
To solve the second problem, they developed a wireless body area network based on the Medical Implants Communications Service (MICS) standard. The standard was developed for the transmission of radio waves from an implant to a receiver worn on the body.
The wireless system can also send information to a base station up to three metres away, allowing doctors to monitor patients’ health and check how well the implanted devices are functioning, for example.
New biomaterials
Because anything implanted into the patient’s body must be protected from bodily fluids and must be designed to last, the team also worked on the development of new materials, including a modified silicone and diamond-like coating.
The researchers note that their work in the microsystems domain, particularly their innovations in wireless communications and powering tiny devices, could be applied outside of the healthcare field to other ambient intelligence systems. Adaptations of the technology could be used to connect sensors and devices around the home or to monitor the well-being of the elderly.
In this project key microsystem technologies and communication methods will be developed that bring intelligence directly to the human, in the form of medical implants and ambulatory measurement systems, and also enable information from these devices to be transmitted out into the wider environment. The microsystem technologies to be developed can be applied to any generic Ambient Intelligent system comprising sensors, actuators, an intelligent processor and a wiring loom. The medical applications have been chosen for 2 reasons. Firstly, they will progress the existing State of the Art in Microsystems in terms of size, reliability, and power constraints far more than many other application sectors. In addition, there will be a direct positive impact into the health of EU citizens. The overall objective is to develop the technologies that go to make up a microsystem, and then produce specific medical devices to exploit these technologies. The 4 year project, with 27 partners, is structured with the focus on the microsystem technology development, most of which does not include silicon. This is seen as crucial if complete microsystems are to be realised in the coming few years. This project includes participants from all of the disciplines necessary to produce a complete generic microsystem. The result will be a range of core technologies and medical devices utilising these core technologies. Intelligence will be given back to people where part of their own internal system has failed. Quality of life will be improved for millions of EU citizens and the long term cost of treating people will reduce significantly. The resulting final medical products include cochlear and retina implants, nerve stimulation, bladder control and pressure monitoring systems. It is estimated from the available statistics that around 50% of the western population i.e. around 500 million citizens, will suffer from at least one of the health problems targeted in this project.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine ophthalmology
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering sensors
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry metalloids
- medical and health sciences medical biotechnology implants
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
FP6-2002-IST-1
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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.
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.
Coordinator
SG4 8WH Codicote
United Kingdom
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Participants (28)
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1010 WIEN
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8036 GRAZ
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Town
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3001 LEUVEN
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1015 LAUSANNE
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79085 FREIBURG
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28359 BREMEN
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53113 BONN
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14513 TELTOW
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47057 DUISBURG
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78052 VILLINGEN-SCHWENNINGEN
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43003 TARRAGONA
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38054 GRENOBLE
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38054 GRENOBLE
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93170 BAGNOLET
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62748 TEL AVIV
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02-668 WARSZAWA
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E1 4NS LONDON
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AL10 0TQ HATFIELD, HERTFORDSHIRE
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SW19 4DF LONDON
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BS16 1JE FRENCHAY BRISTOL
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NE1 7RU NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE
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CB1 6AL CAMBRIDGE
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SN2 2QW SWINDON, WILTSHIRESWINDON WILTSHIRE
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UB3 1HH HAYES, MIDDLESEX
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SL8 5YS BOURNE END
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M5 4WT SALFORD
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SP2 8BJ SALISBURY, WILTSHIRE
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