# An implantable wireless tactile feedback system

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2020 · $624,302

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Paralysis following spinal cord injury is a devastating condition for which there is no adequate treatment. The
injury disrupts motor and sensory communication between the brain and body. Re-establishing communication
with a brain-machine interface (BMI) remains one of the most promising treatment strategies. A BMI
establishes connections between (1) recorded brain signals and a device, e.g. a robotic hand, to provide motor
output and (2) external sensors, e.g. of grasp force, and brain stimulation to provide sensory feedback.
Recently, two independent studies have demonstrated that it is possible to reanimate an individual's own
paralyzed hand, using brain-controlled muscle stimulation, instead of relying on a robotic device. This major
advance provides a clear pathway toward naturalistic restoration of motor function after paralysis. However,
the critical issue of how to provide a sense of touch for reanimated paralyzed hands has not been addressed.
Ideally, tactile sensors for a reanimated human hand should be transparent to the user: implanted devices free
from the constraints of gloves or wires. Previous tactile sensors for BMIs have been designed for robotic
hands, where issues of size, power, and data transmission are less constrained. Thus, new technology is
needed. In this project, we will develop an implantable, wireless tactile feedback system designed specifically
for the human hand. First, we aim to develop a miniature, silica-based hermetic package with a built-in network
of capacitors sensitive to normal and shear forces over a physiological range. Second, we aim to design an
application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to be housed inside the implantable package to process the
sensor capacitance changes and wirelessly transmit the data to a battery-powered base unit worn on the wrist.
The base unit will also remotely power the ASIC through magnetic resonance at MHz frequencies, using the
body as a communication channel. Third, we aim to test the complete, wireless sensor system in the non-
human primate hand. The sensitive and stability of the implanted sensor output will be quantified and its
function in the presence of simultaneous muscle stimulation assessed. This project leverages a strong
collaboration between investigators with expertise in surgery, neuroengineering, microelectromechanical
systems, low-power sensor electronics, and radiofrequency integrated circuits. The microfabricated sensor,
hermetic packaging, wireless powering, and wireless read-out technology will provide important advances to
the field of implantable medical devices. Ultimately, the sensor system could be combined with brain-controlled
muscle stimulation to provide closed-loop hand reanimation in paralyzed subjects, with large expected gains in
performance. The addition of tactile feedback to reanimation strategies would be a substantial step towards a
clinical BMI allowing the thousands of newly paralyzed individuals each year to re...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9920792
- **Project number:** 5R01NS107550-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** TIMOTHY H LUCAS
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $624,302
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-05-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9920792

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9920792, An implantable wireless tactile feedback system (5R01NS107550-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9920792. Licensed CC0.

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