The CLONS project
aims to develop suitable
technological solutions to increase the quality of
life of
people affected by vestibular disorders. Specifically, an innovative
closed-loop sensory neural
prosthesis will be developed
and tested
in animal
models and eventually implemented for in a clinical population
(humans). This prosthesis will restore
vestibular information by electrically stimulating nerves connected to
the semicircular canals. The stimulation patterns will be based on
information provided by inertial sensors mounted to the user's
head. This ambitious, inter-disciplinary project will require
overcoming the following challenges:
- intra-vestibular interfaces able to
create connections with neurons innervating the vestibular periphery
- implantable circuitry that is powerful and robust
yet small and biocompatible
- an artificial vestibular system that can be attached to a
user's head
- machine learning to discover effective vestibular
stimulation strategies
- algorithms to adaptive stimulation interaction
with the prosthetic user
