Microelectronics to build smart medical devices

Summary form only given. The bladder controller and the visual cortical stimulator are the main subjects of research activities of the PolySTIM team at the Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal. Such devices are dedicated to recuperate or enhance neuromuscular functions in patients by means of peripherals or central nervous systems. While the bladder controllor is dedicated to recuperate voiding and retention functions on paralyzed patients, the electronic visual stimulator is dedicated to create adequate vision for totally blind patients. Neural peripheral sacral stimulation is applied to recover the bladder function, but direct stimulation of the brain is the basic principle of the visual cortex stimulator proposed by PolySTIM. The author elaborates the design and validation of the visual implant that involves an advanced stimulator mounted on a matrix of 25×25 microelectrodes which are implanted on the visuel cortex to recover partial vision for blind patients.