Hermetic Neural Interface Pylon for Infection-Resistant Osseointegration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing prosthetic devices with osseointegrated neural interfaces face high infection risks due to inadequate hermetic seals, particularly at the skin-abutment interface and neural interface, which can lead to infections migrating from the outside environment into the body.
Innovation Solution
A load-bearing skin and bone integrated prosthetic device with a hermetically sealed neural interface is developed, utilizing a ceramic-insulated conductive wires within a titanium frame, brazed at both ends and surrounded by a porous titanium portion for integration with the skin, ensuring a hermetic seal and preventing infection migration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If screw joints are used to seal the neural interface, then the device can be assembled, but the seal is not hermetic and infection risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
A hermetic seal component is introduced as an intermediary element between the first and second portions of the bone implant. This seal component includes a first interface that hermetically seals with the first portion and a second interface that hermetically seals with the second portion, creating a complete hermetic barrier while maintaining assembly capability through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The hermetic seal component is nested within the bone implant structure, with the seal component positioned between the first and second portions. The neural interface wires pass through the sealed chamber formed by the nested components, allowing the seal to protect the internal wiring while maintaining structural integrity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If electrical wires penetrate the skin for neural interface, then signal transmission is enabled, but infection risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The neural interface wires are nested within a hermetically sealed chamber formed by the first portion, second portion, and seal component. This nested structure allows the wires to transmit neural signals while being completely enclosed and protected from external infection sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The hermetic seal component acts as an intermediary barrier between the external environment and the neural interface wires. It allows the wires to penetrate the skin for signal transmission while preventing infection by creating a hermetic barrier at the implant-skin interface.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the abutment has longitudinal channels for electrical wires, then neural interface functionality is achieved, but protective seal against outside infection becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The bone implant is segmented into a first portion, second portion, and separate hermetic seal component. This segmentation allows the seal to be independently designed and optimized for hermetic performance while the longitudinal channels for electrical wires are integrated into the sealed chamber structure, reducing overall sealing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The hermetic seal component serves as an intermediary element that simplifies the sealing challenge by providing a dedicated sealed chamber for the electrical wires. The longitudinal channels are formed within this sealed structure, making the sealing function more straightforward compared to attempting to seal wires penetrating through a solid abutment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The hermetic seal effectively blocks the propagation of infections from the outside environment, providing a reliable and secure interface for neural signal transmission while maintaining structural integrity under load-bearing conditions.
Implementation Method 1
The hermetic seals prevent the contact of electronic components with body tissue and fluids and are achieved in many cases by braze joints
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention incorporates a neural interface with a skin and bone integrated device with hermetic seal to prevent infection migration through the interface. The neural interface consists of plurality of wires that conduct the signals between the inside body nerve system and the outside robotic/prosthetic mechanisms and controls. Each wire is electrically insulated through the channel of a single, double or multi bore insulator rod. The wires are extended outside on both ends of the rod forming leads for further connection with corresponding wires conducting signals to and from outside and inside body. The rod assembly is inserted inside a channel of a solid tubular load bearing titanium frame. The outside of the ceramic rod is hermetically brazed to the inside of the frame at both ends. The solid tubular frame is surrounded by a porous titanium portion of the pylon ensuring the integration with the skin.