Implantable Intertial Sensor

[25-JUL-22] The Implantable Inertial Sensor (IIS) is a wireless accelerometer and gyroscope encapsulated in epoxy and silicone. It may be implanted subcutaneously in a rodent or attached extracutaneously to a fish. Development of the IIS was funded by the NSF (grant IOS 1652582) and carried out in collaboration with the Tytell Laboratory of Tufts University. The IIS is equipped with a single 30-mm thin loop antenna that works well when immersed in water or implanted in an animal body. The IIS uses the same telemetry system as our Subcutaneous Transmitters (SCTs). We turn the IIS on and off with a magnet, just as we do an SCT.

The IIS is designed for designed for long-term experiments that require intermittent, short-term monitoring of angular velocity and linear acceleration. We can implant the A3035B, for example, in a mouse and record the six inertial signals for an hour every day for forty days. Or we can attach the same device to a fish, record for two hours, remove, and do the same thing twenty times with twenty different fish. The A3035B transmits six signals on six separate SCT telemetry channels. The signals are gyroscope x, y, z, range ±5.6 rev/s at 128 SPS (samples per second) and accelerometer x, y, z, range ±160 m/s/s at 128 SPS.

The IIS is not designed as an activity monitor. Activity monitoring requires only one sample per second from an accelerometer. Our Animal Location Tracker (ALT) and Sixteen-Way Data Receiver (SDR) both provide activity monitoring by watching telemetry power on their antenna arrays. The ALT and SDR provide motion detection that allows us to discriminate between animals in video recordings, to determine which animals socialize together, and to record which animals are asleep and awake. These measurements are provided by the ALT and SDR at no cost to the battery in the implant. Because our recording system provides activity monitoring and motion tracking, there is no need for us to build an implant for the same purpose.

Implantable Inertial Sensor (A3035): Magnetically activated motion sensor for fish.

Technical Proposal for Implantable Inertial Sensor: Introduction to the device and presentation of original conceptual design.

Parts and Prices: A list of devices and their prices.