Project Grant R44DC017640

This Project Grant award from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (CFDA 93.173 - Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders) provides $306,073 to Iotamotion, Inc. to develop a navigation-based cochlear implant insertion system that optimizes trajectory and enables slow, consistent electrode array insertions. The goal is to improve short and long-term hearing outcomes for cochlear implant patients by enhancing structural preservation of the...

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), under the federal Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173), awarded a $651,197 Project Grant to Vanderbilt University to develop and validate an augmented reality cochlear implant (CI) insertion guidance system. The project aims to improve the placement of CI electrode arrays within the cochlea, which is crucial for optimizing the electro-neural interface and maximizing...

This $304,723 Project Grant was awarded on April 15, 2025 by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) under the federal "Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders" grant program (CFDA 93.173) to Qualia Oto, Inc., a for-profit company based in Dallas, Texas. The grant aims to assess the viability of robotic-assisted, shape-conforming cochlear implant (CI) electrode arrays as a new solution for achieving atraumatic cochlear...

This Project Grant award from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), under the federal Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173), is providing $306,872 to Iotamotion, Inc. to develop a novel electromagnetic tracking technology for cochlear implant surgery. The project aims to create a working prototype of an electromagnetic tracking system (EMOTO) that can be integrated into Iotamotion's robotic-assist cochlear implant...

This $400,000 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) will support the development of a novel soft auditory brainstem implant (ABI) technology by the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. The goal is to create a more conformable and miniaturized ABI electrode array to improve the neuromodulation performance and enable minimally invasive surgical insertion for patients with neurofibromatosis type 2 (NF2). The project will involve testing the...

This Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation (CFDA 47.074 Biological Sciences) is for the development of a piezoelectric inchworm machine to enable automated implantation of miniaturized flexible microelectrodes into the brain for large-scale chronic neural recordings. The $499,991 award will fund the development of the inchworm insertion mechanism and its integration with a 3D-printed skull cap platform. This system aims to address the challenges of electrode buckling and...

This Project Grant award, valued at $674,021 and funded by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), supports the "Advancement of an Implantable Microphone" under the NIDCD's "Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders" grant program (CFDA 93.173). The award is focused on refining and validating an innovative implantable microphone prototype, called the UMIC, that was previously developed through NIDCD funding. The UMIC is...

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $649,810 Project Grant under its NSF Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (CFDA 47.084) program to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). The grant, with a term from February 15, 2024 to January 31, 2025, funds a convergence research project to develop flexible thin-film distributed strain sensor arrays for cochlear implants (CIs). The goal is to improve the safety and outcomes of minimally-invasive CI surgeries by enabling deformable medical...

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), through the Research Related to Deafness and Communication Disorders program (CFDA 93.173), awarded a $377,700 Project Grant to The Washington University to develop and validate a clinical decision support tool for early risk stratification of cochlear implant (CI) speech perception performance. The goal is to leverage artificial intelligence and novel variables to improve patient counseling, auditory rehabilitation...

Qualia Oto, Inc. was awarded a $233,928 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation to develop matrix-addressed, thin-film cochlear implant electrode arrays. The NSF funding supports a Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project under the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships program. The award will enable Qualia Oto to establish the feasibility of a novel circuit design fabricated on a thin-film platform using standard manufacturing equipment. Prototypes will undergo electrical...