Physiological Telemetry Systems
for
Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine, Physiology,
and Emergency Care
The mission of InnerSea is to develop telemetry based miniature electronic systems for medicine, particularly in the areas of Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine, Physiology,
and Emergency Care.
InnerSea Technology, Inc. is a small, highly specialized
medical microelectronics research and development company located in Bedford, Massachusetts. Core competencies of InnerSea include:
peripheral and central nerve interface technology for motor control and sensory
feedback; ultra-low power circuit design for printed circuit board, hybrid, or
integrated circuit implementations; materials and packaging strategies for
ultra small, long term implantable devices; ultra-low power optical and RF
short range data telemetry; low power cutaneous sensory feedback devices; and
physiological monitoring systems.
One significant focus of InnerSea is the development of neural
interface systems that can exchange information with computer based
instrumentation and assistive devices.
These microelectronic systems are permanently implantable in patients
and experimental animals and function reliably for the life of the
recipient. Communication is by
transcutaneous telemetry to avoid tethering of implants and percutaneous skin
connectors. Immediate applications of
the technology include prosthetic limb control with sensory feedback. Some future applications of this technology
include neural control of dexterous prosthetic hands, bridging damaged spinal
cord, prosthetic vision hearing, and activation of paretic muscles. Spin-offs using similar technology include
monitoring of physiological variables such as internal temperature and
pressure. As new implantable sensor
technology for glucose and other biochemicals become available, this technology
may provide an efficient means of exchanging this information with external
monitors or controllers. A core strength
is development of packaging and encapsulation techniques that provide long term
protection (decades) for implantable devices while maintaining the
miniature/micro dimensions of micromachined devices.
Another major focus of InnerSea is the application of
techniques developed for implantable devices to externally worn systems that
can sense and relay important physiological information. These systems are particularly relevant for
physiology, monitoring of physiological variables in at-risk patients such as
quadriplegics, and monitoring of muscle actuation and limb kinetics for sports
medicine and rehabilitation. Included in the external systems work are novel
low power cutaneous sensory systems that can provide unobtrusive continuous
sensory feedback to the user. These
devices can be used to improve prosthetic control and utility as well as
providing important system status or warning cues.