Recently, implantable devices have become widely used in neural prostheses because they eliminate endemic drawbacks of conventional percutaneous neural interface systems. However, there are still several issues to be considered: low-efficiency wireless power transmission; wireless data communication over restricted operating distance with high power consumption; and limited functionality, working either as a neural signal recorder or as a stimulator. To overcome these issues, we suggest a novel implantable wireless neural interface system for simultaneous neural signal recording and stimulation using a single cuff electrode. By using widely available commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components, an easily reconfigurable implantable wireless neural interface system was implemented into one compact module. The implantable device includes a wireless power consortium (WPC)-compliant power transmission circuit, a medical implant communication service (MICS)-band-based radio link and a cuff-electrode path controller for simultaneous neural signal recording and stimulation. During in vivo experiments with rabbit models, the implantable device successfully recorded and stimulated the tibial and peroneal nerves while communicating with the external device. The proposed system can be modified for various implantable medical devices, especially such as closed-loop control based implantable neural prostheses requiring neural signal recording and stimulation at the same time.

Hardness, dimensions, and location of biological tissues are important parameters for electronic palpation protocols with standardized performance. This study presents a novel fluid-type tactile sensor able to measure size and depth of heterogeneous substances in elastic bodies. The new sensor is very simple and can be easily fabricated. It consists of an image sensor, LED lights, and a touchpad filled with translucent water. The intensity field of the light traveling in the touchpad is analyzed to estimate the touchpad shape which conforms to the shape of an object in contact. The use of the new sensor for measuring size and depth of heterogeneous substances inside elastic bodies as well as hardness of elastic bodies is illustrated. Results obtained for breast cancer dummies demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

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