Neural prosthesis
First Claim
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1. A method for controlling a paralyzed region of a body, the method comprising the steps of:
- implanting a neural prosthesis in the body, the neural prosthesis comprising;
at least two modules, each module comprises an actuator and a housing that encloses a network interface and a processor, wherein the at least two modules communicate with each other via a network link; and
a power source linked to each of the at least two modules to provide a power signal to each of the modules via the network link;
detecting, by at least one of the modules, at least one input signal; and
applying an output signal, by the at least one of the modules in response to the at least one input signal, to a portion of the nervous system to initiate a body function associated with the paralyzed region.
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Abstract
A neural prosthesis includes a centralized device that can provide power, data, and clock signals to one or more individual neural prosthesis subsystems. Each subsystem may include a number of individually addressable, programmable modules that can be dynamically allocated or shared among neural prosthetic networks to achieve complex, coordinated functions or to operate in autonomous groups.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A method for controlling a paralyzed region of a body, the method comprising the steps of:
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implanting a neural prosthesis in the body, the neural prosthesis comprising; at least two modules, each module comprises an actuator and a housing that encloses a network interface and a processor, wherein the at least two modules communicate with each other via a network link; and a power source linked to each of the at least two modules to provide a power signal to each of the modules via the network link; detecting, by at least one of the modules, at least one input signal; and applying an output signal, by the at least one of the modules in response to the at least one input signal, to a portion of the nervous system to initiate a body function associated with the paralyzed region. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method for controlling first and second paralyzed regions of a body, the method comprising the steps of:
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implanting a neural prosthesis in the body, the neural prosthesis comprising; a first module implanted in the first paralyzed region and a second module implanted in the second region, each module comprises an actuator and a housing that encloses a network interface and a processor, wherein the at least two modules communicate with each other via a network link; and a power source linked to each of the at least two modules to provide a power signal to each of the modules via the network link; detecting, by the first module or the second module, a plurality of input signals; and applying, by the first module or the second module in response to the plurality of input signals, output signals to stimulate a portion of the nervous system in the first region or the second region to initiate a body. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A neural prosthesis system that controls a paralyzed region of a body, comprising:
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a first module comprising a first actuator and a first housing that encloses a first network interface to a network link and a first processor; a second module comprising a second actuator and a second housing that encloses a second network interface to the network link and a second processor, wherein the first module and the second module communicate with each other via the network link; and a power source that provides a power signal to the first module and the second module via the network link; wherein the first module and the second module transmit and receive signals across the network link at a same fundamental data rate based on a frequency of alternating pulses from the power source. - View Dependent Claims (20)
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Specification