Scrolling advances a simulated cochlear implant electrode into the scala tympani: 0.6 to 22 millimeters of insertion depth, 0 to 363 degrees of angular depth. The load on its twelve capacitive sensing channels changes as it winds in.
Sensor-enabled guidance for cochlear implant surgery
Advanced Optronics builds FlexDetect, a thin-film strain sensor compatible with cochlear implant electrode arrays, and Sixth Sense Surgical, a software suite that turns its signal into real-time insights to help manage insertion trauma during cochlear implantation.
What we build
During cochlear implantation, the surgeon cannot directly visualize the electrode once it enters the cochlea, resulting in a blind insertion. Micro-scale forces that can injure delicate inner-ear structures, such as the basilar membrane, are imperceptible to the human sense of touch. This leads to insertion trauma: scalar translocation, tip fold-over and resulting structural damage and loss of residual hearing.
FlexDetect is a strain-sensing film, 10× thinner than a human hair, integrated with the electrode array. Sixth Sense Surgical reads the sensor in real time and generates an audible alert when forces exceed a set threshold, as well as a real-time 3D reconstruction of electrode shape and placement in the cochlea. The system is under active development and has not been evaluated by the FDA.
