Sensor-Tech Laboratory and the Deaf-Blind Support Foundation Con-nection develop ELVIS brain implants that will restore sight, hearing and treat neurological diseases
The ELVIS system is able to stimulate different areas of the brain to induce various sensory perceptions. The brain implants will enable patients to regain hearing and vision or help with more complex neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease, Tourette syndrome, or chronic pain syndrome.
The line includes 3 devices:
ELVIS C brain implant for hearing restoration
The first cochlear implant in Russia. It transmits sounds from a microphone directly into the cochlea of the inner ear, where the nerve endings are located. As a result, the patient gains electronic hearing.
The ELVIS C consists of 2 parts:
A speech processor that the patient wears on their ear;
A subdermal implant which connects to a thin strand of electrodes that goes straight to the cochlea of the inner ear through the skull and stimulates the nerve endings. These transmit a signal to the brain.
ELVIS C is the first cochlear implant in Russia, as patients previously received their implants from foreign manufacturers.
The ELVIS DBS brain implant for neurological conditions
This technology will help people suffering from Parkinson's disease, chronic pain syndromes, tremor, Tourette's syndrome, and other serious neurological disorders.
The ELVIS DBS consists of 2 parts:
A neurostimulator which goes in the patient's chest;
Special electrodes that are inserted into the subcortical structures of the brain.
The neurostimulator is programmed for each patient by the doctor which allows the parameters of brain stimulation to be adjusted depending on the condition. The 13 electrodes, which stimulate the brain in 360 mode, aid neurosurgeons in selecting the optimal treatment strategy for each patient.
The ELVIS V implant that will restore sight to the blind
The ELVIS V brain implant is designed to "connect" cameras to the brain and transmit images directly to it, without the aid of the eyes.
The ELVIS V system consists of 3 parts:
A matrix of electrodes that is placed in the visual cortex and stimulates the brain with small currents.
A hoop with two cameras that the user wears on their head. The cameras capture the image in real time, performing an 'eye function'.
A microcomputer analyses the data from the cameras, extracts the contours of objects and transmits the processed image directly to the matrix in the brain.
Deaf-blind patients can be treated with two brain implants at the same time - for hearing and for vision.
The ELVIS project is implemented by the specialists of the Deaf-Blind Support Foundation Con-nection and the Sensor-Tech Laboratory, supported by the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Technology University MIREA, I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University (Sechenov University), Skolkovo Foundation, Moscow Innovation Cluster, and other leading Russian scientific and medical institutions