FLAMENCO

About FLAMENCO

Focusing on what matters the most: Human well-being

Prof. Külah has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Unions Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. The Consolidator Grant (CoG), 2015, ERC-2015-CoG of 1.9 Million €. Start date: 2016-07-01, End date: 2021-06-30.

European Research Council

European Union

Cochlear implants (CI) are used by patients with sensorineural hearing loss to bypass the damaged ear organelles directly stimulating the auditory nerve. However, current state of the commercial CIs has drawbacks such as need for frequent battery replacement, risk of external components damage, and aesthetics. Fully implantable CI has the potential to eliminate the aforementioned concerns, but a reliable internal power source and an implantable acoustic sensor that are fit into a small volume are the main bottlenecks. BioMEMS Research Group, Electrical and Electronics Engineering of Middle East Technical University is working towards overcoming these challenges to improve the lives of people with sensorineural impairement. The goal is to give the patients their freedom to hear and be exposed to water, and social confidence.

Prof. Dr. Haluk Külah

FLAMENCO will change the lives of people with sensorineural hearing disabilities.

— Prof. Dr. Haluk Külah

INNOVATIVE SUCCESS

How will FLAMENCO affect the lives of hearing impaired?

Patents Granted:

EP2786432 (B1) and TR 2014 04927B, 2015

US 9,630,007, 2017

More patents are on the way

Fully Implantable

FLAMENCO, provides a different approach for fitting of the cochlear implants. The whole system can be fully implanted eliminating the issues with current systems.

Energy Harvesting

Replacement of the battery is completely eliminated using a piezoelectric energy harvesting (PEH) system using acoustic waves. The frequency range used to recharge the battery does not interfere with hearing of the patient.

Fully Responsive

A coil is used to calibrate the system for each patient to get the best results, this coil is removed after calibration.

Daily adaptation

All the benefits providesd by the FLAMENCO project will enhance the daily adaptation of patients. We beleive that once it is implanted you will forget it.

TEAM

Meet our team

Currently, a highly motivated team of, 5 Ph.D. and 5 M.Sc students are working on the development of the fully implantable cochlear implant (FICI). The team combines various disciplines forming a multidisciplinary pool of knowledge as demanded by nature of the project. For FLAMENCO to be realized knowledge of electronics, materials systems, mechanics, bio-mechanics and medicine is essential. Please, see our collaborators section for the surgeons who are involved in the project.

Ph.D. Students

Aziz Koyuncuoğlu

Ph.D. Student

M.Sc., Mechanical Eng., METU

Design and Fabrication of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Micro Devices for Biomedical Implants

Research focus: Aziz works towards developing bulk lead zirconate titanate (PZT) based micro energy harvester for converting acoustic energy into electrical energy. The energy harvester chip is placed on a vibrating element of middle ear such as ear drum or one of the ossicles. Converted energy is used to charge the cochlear implant battery.

Keywords: Bulk PZT, Piezoelectric energy harvester.

Alper Kaan Soydan

Ph.D. Student

B.Sc., Elec. and Elec. Eng., METU

System Level Integration of Interface Electronics on Flexible Substrates

Research focus: Alper is responsible for the system level integration and biocompatible packaging of the all components of the implant. Reliable connections between the transducer chips, CMOS electronic chip, stimulation electrodes and the battery have to be established using a flexible substrate that is designed for in-vivo implantation. This specific substrate is called flat flexible cable (FFC) and it carries the routing wires. Flip-chip bonding technique is planned for the implementation of CMOS chip to the FFC. On top of that, transducer chips require special 3D assembly method like through silicon via (TSV), in order to be integrated as an in-vivo device.

Keywords: Flexible electronics, FFC, MEMS integration, Microfabrication, TSV, Packaging, Biocompatibility.

Berat Yüksel

Ph.D. Student

M.Sc., Elec. and Elec. Eng., METU

Design and Fabrication of Multi- Frequency Large Bandwidth Transducer

Research focus: In this Project, Berat develops a wide band width multifrequency piezoelectric transducers. These transducers filter acoustic waves mechanically and generate electrical signals from piezoelectric vibration. Thus, transducers mimic the natural operation of the cochlea. Thereafter, generated electrical signals are send to interface circuit to stimulate auditory nerves at cochlea.

Keywords: PZT, transducer, large bandwidth.

Yasemin Engür

Ph.D. Student

M.Sc., Elec. and Elec. Eng., METU

Efficient Wireless Power Transmission for Fully Implantable Cochlear Implants

Research focus: Yasemin works on designing interface circuit for wireless power transmission. This circuit is responsible for charging the rechargeable battery used to power-up the system. Hence, long-lasting operation of the implanted device will be achieved. Meanwhile, the interface circuit also provides wireless data transmission for patient fitting since the hearing threshold and maximum comfort levels show variation from patient-to-patient.

Keywords: Wireless Power Transfer, Battery Charging, Patient Fitting.

MSc Students

Mert Koç

M.Sc. Student

B.Sc., Elec. and Elec. Eng., METU

Power management circuit for interface Electronics for Fully Implantable Cochlear Implant

Research focus: Mert is designing a power management circuit for interface electronics for fully implantable cochlear implants. Different voltage levels are utilized within the interface circuitry, which is to be provided by this management circuit. Most important design considerations are efficiency and area consumption, as the available volume is restricted. Fully integrated switched-capacitor power converters (SCPC) and regulation techniques are used to power the interface circuit.

Keywords: Power management, efficiency, SCPC.

Mert Doğan

M.Sc. Student

B.Sc., Elec. and Elec. Eng., METU

Wireless Data Transfer Electronics Design for Fully Implantable Cochlear Implants

Research focus: Research Focus: Mert works on designing a data transfer system for the communication in between the cochlear implant and the outside world. After the surgery, the interface circuits must be adjusted for each individual patient. For this motivation, low power modulators and demodulators for both the fully implantable cochlear implants and the outside transmitter will be designed. The system will also be able to acquire data from the fully implantable cochlear implant to the outside as well.

Keywords: Wireless Data Transfer, Modulation, Telemetry, Patient Fitting.

Berkay Özbek

M.Sc. Student

B.Sc., Elec. and Elec. Eng., METU

Low Power CMOS Biquadratic Gm-C Filter Bank Design for Auditory Signal Processing

Research focus: Research Focus: The research aims to implement a bandpass filter bank with eight center frequencies within the daily acoustic band for fully implantable cochlear implants. The output of acoustic sensor is processed by the filter bank such that the desired frequency response is achieved for the cochlear electrodes. The system is able to cover the acoustic band of 300 Hz-6 kHz with quality factor 1-4 while consuming less than 1 µW and providing control over center frequency, quality factor and gain for patient fitting.

Keywords: Biquadratic Gm-C Filter, Low Power CMOS IC, Patient Fitting.

Former Students and Post-Doctoral Researchers

Özlem Şardan Sukas, Ph.D.

Worked as a Post-Doctoral Researcher, 2017

Ph.D., Mechanical. Eng., Denmark Technical University

Hasan Uluşan

Former Ph.D. Student, Graduation: 2019 Current position: Post-Doctoral Researcher at ETH Zürich, D-BSSE (2019-Present)

M.Sc., Elec. and Elec. Eng., METU

Ultra-Low Power Interface Electronics Design for Fully Implantable Cochlear Implants

Research focus: Hasan developed an ultra-low power interface circuit to stimulate auditory nerves through fully implantable cochlear implants. The interface circuit senses signal sourced from a set of piezoelectric cantilevers with different resonance frequencies, and stimulates auditory neurons according to incoming sound level and frequency.

Keywords: Ultra-low power interface electronics

Parinaz Ashrafi

Former Ph.D. Student (not completed, 2016-2019)

M.Sc., Biomechanical Eng., METU

Design and Fabrication of a Synthetic Tympanic Membrane for MEMS-based Piezoelectric Transducers Testing

Research focus: Parinaz aims to fabricate and test an implantable synthetic Tympanic Membrane (TM) as an attachment base for a fully implantable MEMS based bulk piezoelectric transducer. The artificial tympanic membrane to be proposed, will have a customized acoustic vibration in order to match with attached fully implantable cochlear implant. A Finite-element model of the human middle ear will be provided and the vibration of whole system will be analyzed.

Keywords: Synthetic tympanic membrane, acoustic transducer attachment.

Dilek Işık Akcakaya, Ph.D.

Post-Doctoral Researcher

Ph.D., Metallurgical. Eng., Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal

Micro-fabrication of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters and Optimization of Process Parameters

Research focus: Dilek works at the METU-MEMS Center clean room (ISO 100) for the optimization of wafer level bonding of piezoelectric sheets to the SOI wafers using Au-In TLP process, photolithography, lapping and DRIE processes. She is developing the ALD - Al₂O₃ as an insulator, working on the fixation and imaging of cochleas of guniea pigs, and is responsible for the HTML coding of the FLAMENCO website.

Keywords: Bulk PZT, Piezoelectric energy harvester, Tansducer, Atomic Layer Deposition, Transient Liquid Phase Bonding, SEM, Biological sample preparation and characterization.

Salar Chamanian, Ph.D.

Post-Doctoral Researcher

Ph.D., Elec. and Elec. Eng., Middle East Technical University, Ankara

Interface Electronics for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters

Research focus: Salar’s aim is to improve (developed during his PhD study) an interface circuit that can extract energy from MEMS piezoelectric energy harvesters and supply a regulated DC voltage for micro-electronic devices. The efficiency of such systems are significantly affected in low power input range of 10s µW or less, which is mostly the case for micro-fabricated devices. A fully self-powered circuit, based on switching techniques are utilized to extract energy from MEMS piezoelectric harvesters for powering up fully implantable cochlear implants (FICI).

Keywords: Self-powered interface circuit, Regulated DC voltage, Power extraction.

Bedirhan İlik, M.Sc.

Graduated as M.Sc., 2018

Berkay Çiftci

Former M.Sc. Student, Graduation: 2020 Current position: Ph.D. student at Georgia Institue of Technology (2020-Present)

M.Sc., Elec. and Elec. Eng., METU

Low Profile Interface Electronics Design for MEMS Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters

Research focus: Berkay focuses on designing interface circuits which are able to extract energy from MEMS based piezoelectric energy harvesters to charge a battery. One of the design concerns comes from the implantable device volume which needs to be small. Synchronous switching techniques with minimum number of components are used to acquire maximum power from piezoelectric transducers for charging a battery.
Keywords: Piezoelectric energy harvester interface electronics, synchronous switching techniques.

Halil Andaç Yiğit

Former M.Sc. Student, Graduation: 2020 Current position: Ph.D. student at EPFL (2020-Present)

B.Sc., Elec. and Elec. Eng., METU

Ultra-Low Power Interface Electronics Design for Fully Implantable Cochlear Implants

Research focus: Andac is designing an interface electronics, which uses the signal generated from multi-frequency piezoelectric cantilevers and sensing the frequency of the vibration, for stimulation of the auditory neurons. The interface electronic convert the incoming signal into current pulses and stimulate the nerve cells properly according to sound level and frequency. Different current pulse shapes are going to be generated and analyzed for efficiently stimulate the neurons.

Keywords: Ultra-low power interface electronics, analog electronics, digital electronics.

COLLABORATORS

Collaboration for Success in Interdisciplinary Research

Surgeons from Gazi University Faculty of Medicine support the project by frutiful discussions about the ear, implant surgery, constraints and by realizing the in-vivo tests

Prof. Dr. Mehmet Birol Uğur, MD

Faculty member at Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Othorhinolaryngology Department.

Dr. Uğur contributes to the project with his knowledge as a surgeon and in-vivo testing of the new system.

Assoc. Dr. Hakan Tutar, MD

Faculty member at Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Othorhinolaryngology Department.

Dr. Tutar contributes to the project with his knowledge as a surgeon and in-vivo testing of the new system.

Prof. Dr. Nebil Göksu, MD
1957-2016
Faculty member at Gazi University Faculty of Medicine, Othorhinolaryngology Department.

It is with great sadness that we lost our beloved collaborator and friend Prof. Dr. Nebil Göksu, M.D.. He was a remarkable person who devoted his life to healing his patients. Who was also one of the initiators and a major contributor to the FLAMENCO project. With his contributions he took part in the initiation of this project which we expect to have a profound impact on the future direction of people with sensorineural hearing impairement. We will carry on working on FLAMENCO to make his dreams live forever while touching the lives of people.

Collaboration for Success in Intradisciplinary Research

Prof. Dr. Ali Muhtaroğlu

Faculty member at METU Northern Cyprus Campus, Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department.

Prof. Dr. Muhtaroğlu contributes to the project with his knowledge in mixed-signal integrated circuit design of interface electronics for energy harvesting.

FLAMENCO:

A Fully-Implantable MEMS-Based Autonomous Cochlear Implant

About FLAMENCO

Focusing on what matters the most: Human well-being

European Research Council

European Union

INNOVATIVE SUCCESS

How will FLAMENCO affect the lives of hearing impaired?

Fully Implantable

Energy Harvesting

Fully Responsive

Daily adaptation

Efficient Wireless Power Transmission for Fully Implantable Cochlear Implants

MSc Students

Power management circuit for interface Electronics for Fully Implantable Cochlear Implant

Wireless Data Transfer Electronics Design for Fully Implantable Cochlear Implants

Low Power CMOS Biquadratic Gm-C Filter Bank Design for Auditory Signal Processing

Former Students and Post-Doctoral Researchers

Ultra-Low Power Interface Electronics Design for Fully Implantable Cochlear Implants

Design and Fabrication of a Synthetic Tympanic Membrane for MEMS-based Piezoelectric Transducers Testing

Micro-fabrication of Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters and Optimization of Process Parameters

Interface Electronics for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters

Low Profile Interface Electronics Design for MEMS Piezoelectric Energy Harvesters

Ultra-Low Power Interface Electronics Design for Fully Implantable Cochlear Implants