Mobile Hardware-Information System for Neuro-Electrostimulation

The article describes organizational principles of the mobile hardware-informational system based on the multifactorial neuro-electrostimulation device. The system is implemented with two blocks: the first block forms the spatially distributed field of low-frequency monopolar current pulses between two multielement electrodes in the neck region. Functions of the second block, specialized control interface, are performed by a smartphone. Information is exchanged between two blocks through a telemetric channel. The mobile hardware-informational system allows to remotely change the structure of the current pulses field, to control its biotropic characteristics and to change the targets of the stimulation. Moreover, it provides patient data collection and processing, as well as access to the specialized databases. The basic circuit solutions for the neuro-electrostimulation device, implemented by means of microcontroller and elements of high-level hardware integration, are described. The prospects of artificial intelligence and machine learning application for treatment process management are discussed. © 2018 Vladimir S. Kublanov et al.)is study was supported by the Act 211 of the Government of the Russian Federation (contract no. 02.A03.21.0006) and was funded by RFBR (project no, 18-29-02052)

On some possibilities of organizing a mobile hardware-information system for polyfactorial neuro-electrostimulation

In paper the organizational principles of the mobile hardware-information system for polyfactorial neuroelectrostimulation were considered. It was shown that the system can be implemented by three functionally separate blocks, one of which ensures the formation of a spatially distributed field of current pulses, the second is the specialized interface for the patient, and the third is the specialized interface for the doctor. The exchange of information between the blocks is provided by a telemetric communication channel or via the global network using mobile wearable computers (which can include a personal computer, tablet or smartphone). A personalized patient information system can be implemented on the basis of the neuroelectrostimulation system. In this case patient data can be placed on the server of the medical institution. The prospects for using artificial intelligence and machine learning to control the treatment process were discussed. © 2019 by SCITEPRESS - Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

User friendly knowledge acquisition system for medical devices actuation

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia BiomédicaInternet provides a new environment to develop a variety of applications. Hence, large amounts of data, increasing every day, are stored and transferred through the internet. These data are normally weakly structured making information disperse, uncorrelated, non-transparent and difficult to access and share. Semantic Web, proposed by theWorldWideWeb Consortium (W3C), addresses this problem by promoting semantic structured data, like ontologies, enabling machines to perform more work involved in finding, combining, and acting upon information on theWeb. Pursuing this vision, a Knowledge Acquisition System (KAS) was created, written in JavaScript using JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) as the data structure and JSON Schema to define that structure. It grants new ways to acquire and store knowledge semantically structured and human readable. Plus, structuring data with a Schema generates a software robust and error – free. A novel Human Computer Interaction (HCI) framework was constructed employing this KAS, allowing the end user to configure and control medical devices. To demonstrate the potential of this tool, we present the configuration and control of an electrostimulator. Nowadays, most of the software for Electrostimulation is made with specific purposes, and in some cases they have complicated user interfaces and large, bulky designs that deter usability and acceptability. The HCI concedes the opportunity to configure and control an electrostimulator that surpasses the specific use of several electrostimulator software. In the configuration the user is able to compile different types of electrical impulses (modes) in a temporal session, automating the control, making it simple and user-friendly

Principles of organization and control of the new implementation of the “SYMPATHOCOR-01” neuro-electrostimulation device

The paper describes peculiarities of the organizational and control principles of the new implementation of the “SYMPATHOCOR-01” device. Necessity of the device division into two blocks, having different functions, was justified. The specifics of the schematic implementation were mentioned. Advantages of the wireless connection between two blocks were shown. Particular possibilities and actual implementation of the control block via Android application for mobile devices were presented. The potential targets for the neuro-electrostimulation that affect autonomic processes were considered. Copyright © 2017 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

Is touch really that important? : an analysis of the business opportunity of haptic technology in online shopping

Commerce and consumer experience have entered a new reality with the rise of the Internet and the digital age. People are becoming dependent of online shopping due to the convenience of shopping while sitting at home, which saves both time and money. The online environment lacks the sense of touch and this might pose a challenge to online shoppers. The rise of haptic technology could be the answer for lack of touch within online consumer experience. Sensorial technology can give to our digital lives a more realistic experience. This exploratory study aims to analyse the opportunities that haptic technology could generate in online shopping. Therefore, the research problem was examined from two different perspectives. Firstly, from the e-commerce side, in which the purpose was to gain insights about the current state of online business, and the main obstacles that consumers face when shopping online. Secondly, from haptic experts’ side, understand what the current status of haptic technology development is and if the haptic technology can improve online business. Findings reveal that haptic technology is going to play an important role in the gaming industry, medical training, education, and other industries within the next years, but for e-commerce purposes, not in the short time. Findings also report that there are a few other challenges in online shopping and touch is not consider as a priority. The development and implementation of this technology are also considered a brick-wall to implement in a short time.A experiência do consumidor entrou numa nova realidade com o surgimento da Internet e da era digital. Os consumidores tornaram-se dependentes das compras online devido à conveniência de fazer compras em casa, o que economiza tempo e dinheiro. O ambiente online não inclui a experiência do toque e isso pode representar um desafio para os consumidores. O surgimento da tecnologia háptica pode ser a resposta para a falta de toque na experiência online do consumidor. A tecnologia sensorial tem a capacidade de tornar a nossa vida digital uma experiência mais realista. Este estudo exploratório visa analisar as oportunidades que a tecnologia háptica pode gerar nas compras online. A questão foi abordada de duas perspetivas. Numa primeira fase, obter insights sobre o estado atual do negócio online e os principais obstáculos que os consumidores enfrentam na hora de comprar online. Numa segunda fase, verificar qual o status atual do desenvolvimento da tecnologia háptica e se esta tecnologia tem a capacidade de melhorar a experiência de uma compra online. Os resultados revelam que a tecnologia háptica desempenhará um papel importante na indústria dos jogos, na medicina, educação e outras indústrias nos próximos anos, mas para fins de e commerce, não num curto espaço de tempo. Os resultados indicam também que as plataformas de e-commerce enfrentam ainda muitos desafios e o toque não é considerado uma prioridade. O desenvolvimento e a implementação da tecnologia háptica são considerados também uma barreira para a implementação num curto prazo de tempo

Neuroengineering Tools/Applications for Bidirectional Interfaces, Brain–Computer Interfaces, and Neuroprosthetic Implants – A Review of Recent Progress

The main focus of this review is to provide a holistic amalgamated overview of the most recent human in vivo techniques for implementing brain–computer interfaces (BCIs), bidirectional interfaces, and neuroprosthetics. Neuroengineering is providing new methods for tackling current difficulties; however neuroprosthetics have been studied for decades. Recent progresses are permitting the design of better systems with higher accuracies, repeatability, and system robustness. Bidirectional interfaces integrate recording and the relaying of information from and to the brain for the development of BCIs. The concepts of non-invasive and invasive recording of brain activity are introduced. This includes classical and innovative techniques like electroencephalography and near-infrared spectroscopy. Then the problem of gliosis and solutions for (semi-) permanent implant biocompatibility such as innovative implant coatings, materials, and shapes are discussed. Implant power and the transmission of their data through implanted pulse generators and wireless telemetry are taken into account. How sensation can be relayed back to the brain to increase integration of the neuroengineered systems with the body by methods such as micro-stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation are then addressed. The neuroprosthetic section discusses some of the various types and how they operate. Visual prosthetics are discussed and the three types, dependant on implant location, are examined. Auditory prosthetics, being cochlear or cortical, are then addressed. Replacement hand and limb prosthetics are then considered. These are followed by sections concentrating on the control of wheelchairs, computers and robotics directly from brain activity as recorded by non-invasive and invasive techniques

Wearable Robotics for Impaired Upper-Limb Assistance and Rehabilitation: State of the Art and Future Perspectives

Despite more than thirty-five years of research on wearable technologies to assist the upper-limb and a multitude of promising preliminary results, the goal of restoring pre-impairment quality of life of people with physical disabilities has not been fully reached yet. Whether it is for rehabilitation or for assistance, nowadays robotics is still only used in a few high-tech clinics and hospitals, limiting the access to a small amount of people. This work provides a description of the three major 'revolutions' occurred in the field (end-effector robots, rigid exoskeletons, and soft exosuits), reviewing forty-eight systems for the upper-limb (excluding hand-only devices) used in eighty-nine studies enrolling a clinical population before June 2022. The review critically discusses the state of the art, analyzes the different technologies, and compares the clinical outcomes, with the goal of determine new potential directions to follow

MEMS-based Lab-on-chip platform with integrated 3D and planar microelectrodes for organotypic and cell cultures

La presente tesis doctoral se centra en el desarrollo y la validación de plataformas lab on chip (LOC) para su aplicación en el campo de la Biología, la Medicina y la Biomedicina, particularmente relacionados con el cultivo de células y tejidos, así como su tratamiento mediante electroestimulación y su actividad eléctrica. Actualmente, las investigaciones centradas en el desarrollo de LOCs han experimentado un crecimiento considerable, gracias, en gran medida, a la versatilidad que ofrecen. Dicha versatilidad se traduce en numerosas aplicaciones, de las cuales, aquellas relacionadas con la Biología y la Medicina, están alcanzando especial relevancia. La integración de sensores, actuadores, circuitos microfluídicos y circuitos electrónicos en la misma plataforma, permite fabricar sistemas con múltiples aplicaciones. Esta tesis se centra fundamentalmente en el desarrollo de plataformas para el cultivo in vitro de tejidos y células, así como para la monitorización y la interacción con dicho cultivo. Los cultivos in vitro resultan de vital importancia para realizar estudios en células o tejidos, experimentar con medicamentos o estudiar su proliferación y morfología. De esta manera, se cubriría la creciente necesidad de encontrar una alternativa para replicar modelos humanos de enfermedades in vitro para poder desarrollar nuevos fármacos y avanzar en la medicina personalizada. Por tanto, la posibilidad de realizar cultivos de media o larga duración en plataformas que no precisen de un equipamiento costoso como las incubadoras de CO2 y que puedan ser monitorizadas mediante aplicaciones ópticas, supone un salto cualitativo en el desarrollo de los cultivos in vitro. En este contexto, se presenta el trabajo relacionado con esta tesis que ha sido desarrollada dentro del grupo de Microsistemas de la Escuela Superior de Ingeniería de la Universidad de Sevilla. La tesis está estructurada de manera que a lo largo de este escrito se da respuesta a los distintos aspectos anteriormente descritos. En primer lugar, se hace una breve introducción a la tecnología MEMS y a los principios básicos de la microfluídica. Dado que este trabajo se ha desarrollado en un ambiente multidisciplinar, esta sección resulta necesaria para dar una visión general a aquellos no familiarizados con esta disciplina. Tras esa introducción se realiza una descripción del estado del arte en el que se encuadra este trabajo, incluyendo los sistemas LoCs, y sus principales aplicaciones en el campo de la Biología, Medicina y Biomedicina, prestando especial atención a las aplicaciones de los LoCs relacionadas con cultivos organotípicos y de células. Tras la introducción y el estado del arte en el que se enmarca la tesis, se explican los resultados obtenidos durante este trabajo. Durante la primera parte, se describe el desarrollo, fabricación y caracterización de un sistema autónomo para el cultivo y electroestimulación de tejidos que integra un lab on PCB (LOP) formado por un array de microelectrodos en 3D (MEA) formado por hilos de oro de 25 µm en sustrato transparente, sensores y actuadores, junto con una plataforma microfluídica fabricada en metacrilato (PMMA) y polidimetilsiloxano (PDMS). El LOP permite mantener las condiciones de temperatura idóneas para llevar a cabo cultivos de media-larga duración sin necesidad de usar incubadoras deCO2 , así como su seguimiento de forma continua a través de un microscopio, gracias al uso de materiales transparentes. Este sistema también incluye una electrónica suplementaria y un programa que permite la monitorización del sistema y la electrostimulación de la muestra biológica. Tras explicar detalladamente el diseño y el novedoso proceso de fabricación del LOP, se presentan los resultados experimentales. En primer lugar, se ha demostrado que es posible desarrollar cultivos organotípicos de retinas de ratón durante más de 7 días, obteniendo resultados muy similares a los conseguidos para las mismas muestras biológicas, pero mediante métodos de cultivo tradicionales. Además, se ha logrado la neuro-protección mediante la electroestimulación de retinas de ratón con la enfermedad de la retinosis pigmentaria, logrando de esta manera ralentizar la degeneración de la muestra debido a la enfermedad. Otra de las aplicaciones que se quiere conseguir con el desarrollo del LOP anteriormente descrito se centra en la adquisición de señales eléctricas procedentes de las muestras biológicas cultivadas en el dispositivo, así como extrapolar su uso a cultivos celulares. Para la adquisición de señales procedentes del cultivo, la impedancia de los electrodos fabricados con hilos de oro de 25 µm ha resultado ser demasiado alta como para discernir entre el ruido base y la actividad eléctrica del cultivo. Por ello, la segunda parte de esta tesis doctoral se centra en la mejora de la MEA para la adquisición de actividad eléctrica. Dado el objetivo marcado en esta segunda parte, durante esta tesis se ha realizado una estancia en la Universidad de Bath. En dicha estancia, se ha caracterizado la actividad eléctrica de células del cáncer de próstata (PC-3), que fueron cultivadas en chips de silicio con electrodos de oro. La experiencia obtenida durante la estancia ha permitido avanzar en el desarrollo y la fabricación de nuevas MEAs para la adquisción de señales eléctricas de cultivos celulares. La primera aproximación para mejorar la MEA se ha realizado sobre PCB. Se trata de un dispositivo compuesto por pilares de oro en 3D fabricados mediante la técnica de Resumen XXV electroplating. Estos electrodos tienen 100 µm de diámetro y una altura de 25 µm que aseguran el contacto en el caso de cultivos de tejidos. Se ha demostrado una mejora significativa, traducida tanto en una impedancia más baja, como en una línea base de ruido menor con respecto a la MEA con hilos de oro. Asimismo, se han obtenido patrones de actividad eléctrica en las células PC-3 muy similares a los obtenidos con el chip de silicio y oro empleado en la estancia. Como mejora de la MEA 3D se ha cambiado el sustrato por otro transparente, como vidrio o PMMA, para permitir su uso en aplicaciones ópticas. Dichas MEAs integran electrodos planares fabricados mediante la técnica de sputtering de oro sobre su superficie. Estas MEAs están en una fase preliminar de desarrollo, y se está probando en primer lugar su biocompatibilidad y viabilidad para el desarrollo de cultivos celulares. Para finalizar, se exponen las conclusiones de esta tesis doctoral, entre las que destacan: el proceso de fabricación del LOP con electrodos de oro y la aplicación del sistema completo para desarrollar cultivos organotípicos, monitorizarlos y aplicar electroestimulación, logrando la neuro-protección de retinas de ratón con la retinosis pigmentaria; la transición hacia el desarrollo de una plataforma para cultivos celulares mejorando la MEA y su fabricación usando diferentes sustratos; la caracterización de la actividad eléctrica de las células PC-3. También se incluyen las líneas de investigación abiertas para continuar lo que se ha empezado en esta tesis doctoral. Para facilitar la comprensión del lector, se adjuntan los apéndices complementarios a esta tesis doctoral.The presented thesis is focused on the development and validation of lab on chip (LOC) platforms for their application on Biology, Medicine and Biomedicine, particularly those related with cells and tissues cultures, as well as their treatment through electrostimulation and their electrical behavior. Nowadays, research works focused on the development of LOCs have significantly increased, mostly thanks to its high versatility, which involves countless applications. Among all this applications, those related with Biology and Medicine are becoming more and more important. The integration of sensors, actuators, microfluidic circuits and electronic circuits in the same platform allows the fabrication of systems with lots of applications. This thesis is focused on the development of platforms for in vitro cultures of cells and tissues, to monitor their behavior and interact with the biological samples. The importance of in vitro cultures lies on the study of cells and tissues proliferation and morphology or performing drug delivery experiments. In this respect, through LOC technologies, it would be possible to model human diseases in vitro, in order to improve the development of new drugs and advance personalized medicine. Thus, the possibility of carrying out medium-long term cultures on platforms without the need of any expensive equipment, such as CO2 incubators, with software and monitoring, implies a qualitative step forward in the development of in vitro cultures. Within this framework, the work related to this thesis is presented. This PhD has been undertaken in the Microsystem group of the High School Engineering of the University of Seville. The structure of this thesis is organized in such a way that, all along the text, the different aspects previously described are explained in detail. Firstly, a brief introduction about MEMS technology and the basic principles of Microfluidics is presented. Due to this work has been developed in a multidisciplinary environment, this section becomes necessary in order to give a wide view to those non XXVII XXVIII Abstract directly familiarized with these fields. Subsequently, a description of the state of the art is presented, including LOC systems and their applications in Biology, Medicine and Biomedicine, taking special attention to those applications related to organotypic and cell cultures. After the introduction and the state of the art of the framework of this thesis, the results obtained are presented. In the first part of this PhD, the development, fabrication and characterization of the autonomous system for culture and electrostimulation of tissues is described. This system includes a lab on PCB (LOP) composed of a 3D microelectrode array (MEA), with gold wires of 25 µm on transparent substrate, sensors and actuators, together with a microfluidic platform made of PMMA and PDMS. This LOP allows to maintain the appropriate temperature conditions to carry out medium-long term cultures without using a CO2 incubator, as well as its continuous monitoring through an inverted microscope, thanks to the transparent materials used for its fabrication. This system is connected to an external electronic circuit and a software to control the whole system, including the electrostimulation of the biological sample. After explaining the design and the innovative fabrication process of the LOP, the experimental results are presented. Firstly, it has been demonstrated the suitability of this system to perform organotypic cultures of mice retinas for longer than 7 days, obtaining similar results to the same samples, but cultured through traditional methods. In addition, it has been provided neuroprotection to mice retinal explants with the retinitis pigmentosa (RP) disease through the electrostimulation of the samples, being able to slowdown the degeneration of the retinas caused by RP