Memristor-Driven Spike Encoding for Fully Implantable Cochlear Implants

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Main Authors: Török, Tímea Nóra, Kövecs, Roland, Braun, Ferenc, Pollner, Zsigmond, Zeffer, Tamás, Khánh, Nguyen Quoc, Pósa, László, Révész, Péter, Kim, Heungsoo, Piqué, Alberto, Halbritter, András, Volk, János
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Török, Tímea Nóra
Kövecs, Roland
Braun, Ferenc
Pollner, Zsigmond
Zeffer, Tamás
Khánh, Nguyen Quoc
Pósa, László
Révész, Péter
Kim, Heungsoo
Piqué, Alberto
Halbritter, András
Volk, János
author_facet Török, Tímea Nóra
Kövecs, Roland
Braun, Ferenc
Pollner, Zsigmond
Zeffer, Tamás
Khánh, Nguyen Quoc
Pósa, László
Révész, Péter
Kim, Heungsoo
Piqué, Alberto
Halbritter, András
Volk, János
contents Objective: This work aims to demonstrate a low-power, biomimetic auditory sensing concept for fully implantable cochlear implants. The approach draws inspiration from the frequency selectivity and temporal encoding of the cochlea, and uses neuromorphic spike generation to replace conventional signal processing blocks. The goal is to establish a compact, energy-efficient front-end architecture suitable for future implantable systems. Methods: An auditory sensing unit was implemented, consisting of a piezoelectric MEMS cantilever mechanically coupled to a single VO$_2$ nanogap Mott memristor-based oscillator. This configuration enables FFT-free, frequency-selective sensing and direct spike generation, forming a biomimetic auditory front end. The concept was experimentally examined using controlled mechanical excitation. Results: The sensing unit exhibited frequency-selective detection of mechanical vibrations in the nanometer to tens-of-nanometers displacement range and generated biomimetic spiking waveforms. Spike rate-encoding of the input amplitude was demonstrated, with output spiking frequencies tunable between approximately 100 Hz and 1 kHz depending on the excitation level. The waveform was finally converted to a biphasic shape suitable for cochlear implant stimulation. Significance: Temporal encoding is fundamental to natural auditory signal processing in the nervous system. By implementing this principle through neuromorphic spike encoding, the proposed approach can provide significant benefits for cochlear implants. In addition, the circuit has the potential to reduce footprint, energy consumption, and latencies compared with current commercial solutions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_26582
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Memristor-Driven Spike Encoding for Fully Implantable Cochlear Implants
Török, Tímea Nóra
Kövecs, Roland
Braun, Ferenc
Pollner, Zsigmond
Zeffer, Tamás
Khánh, Nguyen Quoc
Pósa, László
Révész, Péter
Kim, Heungsoo
Piqué, Alberto
Halbritter, András
Volk, János
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Biological Physics
Medical Physics
Objective: This work aims to demonstrate a low-power, biomimetic auditory sensing concept for fully implantable cochlear implants. The approach draws inspiration from the frequency selectivity and temporal encoding of the cochlea, and uses neuromorphic spike generation to replace conventional signal processing blocks. The goal is to establish a compact, energy-efficient front-end architecture suitable for future implantable systems. Methods: An auditory sensing unit was implemented, consisting of a piezoelectric MEMS cantilever mechanically coupled to a single VO$_2$ nanogap Mott memristor-based oscillator. This configuration enables FFT-free, frequency-selective sensing and direct spike generation, forming a biomimetic auditory front end. The concept was experimentally examined using controlled mechanical excitation. Results: The sensing unit exhibited frequency-selective detection of mechanical vibrations in the nanometer to tens-of-nanometers displacement range and generated biomimetic spiking waveforms. Spike rate-encoding of the input amplitude was demonstrated, with output spiking frequencies tunable between approximately 100 Hz and 1 kHz depending on the excitation level. The waveform was finally converted to a biphasic shape suitable for cochlear implant stimulation. Significance: Temporal encoding is fundamental to natural auditory signal processing in the nervous system. By implementing this principle through neuromorphic spike encoding, the proposed approach can provide significant benefits for cochlear implants. In addition, the circuit has the potential to reduce footprint, energy consumption, and latencies compared with current commercial solutions.
title Memristor-Driven Spike Encoding for Fully Implantable Cochlear Implants
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Biological Physics
Medical Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.26582