STTR Phase I: Matrix-Addressed, Thin-Film Cochlear Implant Electrode Arrays

这个小型企业技术转让(STTR)第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是显著提高听力障碍者的生活质量。在美国，每年有3700多万人患有听力损失，占成年人口的15%。人工耳蜗(助听器的类型)市场估计为20亿美元。该项目将开发一种植入式助听器，具有改进的区分语音、声音、音乐和日常生活的声学细微差别。其目标是通过一种技术上更优越的解决方案来解决当前的技术限制，从而提高音调专用性和语音感知。这一小型企业技术转移(STTR)第一阶段项目旨在建立一种电路设计的可行性，通过消除传统线束耳蜗电极的当前数据限制来显著提高助听器的能力。一种新颖的电路设计将使用标准制造设备在薄膜平台上制造。这些原型将接受性能、可靠性的电气台架测试，以及指示植入患者情况的机械测试。该产品将通过增加处理的数据来改善音调特异性和语音感知，从而在更宽的频率范围内以更高的分辨率听力。此外，该设计通过自动化半导体制造工艺实现了显著的制造改进，大大降低了生产成本，并提高了产品的一致性，而不是目前手工制造的人工耳蜗植入电极。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to significantly improve the quality of life for people with hearing impairments. Hearing loss affects more than 37 million people in the US each year, accounting for 15% of the adult population. The cochlear implant (type of hearing aid) market is estimated at $2 B. This project will develop an implantable hearing aid with improved differentiated speech, sounds, music, and acoustic nuances of daily life. The objective is to address current technical limitations with a technologically superior solution enabling improved pitch specificity and speech perception. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project seeks to establish the feasibility of a circuit design to significantly increase the capabilities of hearing aids by eliminating the current data constraints of conventional wire bundle cochlear electrodes. A novel electrical circuit design will be fabricated on a thin-film platform using standard manufacturing equipment. These prototypes will undergo electrical bench tests of performance, reliability, and mechanical tests indicative of implanted patient conditions. This product will improve pitch specificity and speech perception by increasing data processed to enable hearing at higher resolution across a wider frequency range. Moreover, the design enables significant manufacturing improvements with automated semiconductor fabrication processes that significantly reduce production costs and improve product consistency over current hand-made cochlear implant electrodes.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.