A 64-channels neural interface for biopotentials recording and PNS stimulation

BISONI, LORENZO;CARBONI, CATERINA;PUDDU, ROBERTO;BARABINO, GIANLUCA;PANI, DANILO;RAFFO, LUIGI;Mueller, Matthias;Stieglitz, Thomas;Del Valle, Jaume;De La Oliva, Natalia;Delgado martinez, Ignacio;Navarro, Xavier;BARBARO, MASSIMO

2017-01-01

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Abstract

A biomedical interface that combines into a single and compact device the recording of biopotentials and the electrical stimulation of neural fibres is presented. It is intended for enabling the control over a robotic hand and for restoring the sensory feedback in amputees by directly interfacing the peripheral nervous system (PNS) in closed-loop. A modular system consisting in one or more independent 16-channels bidirectional units was conceived. Each module is based on three 0.35μm bulk-CMOS integrated circuits (ICs): a recording unit, a High-Voltage (HV) stimulator and a HV booster. A tunable bandwidth (10Hz-8kHz) allows the recording IC to acquire both electroneurographyc (ENG) and electromiographyc (EMG) signals with a programmable gain up to 43.5dB. The signals are then converted into a digital domain by means of a ΣΔ converter. Due to the typical high impedance at the electrode-tissue interface, a programmable HV booster that increases the stimulation voltage up to 19V was designed. It is directly controlled by the stimulation module that generates current-based pulses with a programmable amplitude and pulse-width. The whole system was validated by means of in-vivo experiments in rats.