title: Technical design of a new bone conduction implant (BCI) system.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study is to describe the technical design and verify the technical performance of a new bone conduction implant (BCI) system.
  
  
  METHODS
  The BCI consists of an external audio processor and an implanted unit called the bridging bone conductor. These two units use an inductive link to communicate with each other through the intact skin in order to drive an implanted transducer.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, the design of the full BCI system has been described and verified on a skull simulator and on real patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that the maximum output force (peak 107 dB re 1 μN) of the BCI is robust for skin thickness range of 2-8 mm and that the total harmonic distortion is below 8% in the speech frequency range for 70 dB input sound pressure level. The current consumption is 7.5 mA, which corresponds to 5-7 days use with a single battery.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows that the BCI is a robust design that gives a sufficiently high output and an excellent sound quality for the hearing rehabilitation of indicated patients.
authors.affiliation: a * Department of Signals and Systems , Chalmers University of Technology , Gothenburg , Sweden.
authors.forename: Hamidreza
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Taghavi
authors.affiliation: a * Department of Signals and Systems , Chalmers University of Technology , Gothenburg , Sweden.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Håkansson
authors.affiliation: a * Department of Signals and Systems , Chalmers University of Technology , Gothenburg , Sweden.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Reinfeldt
authors.affiliation: b ENT Department, Sahlgrenska University Hospital , Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg , Gothenburg , Sweden.
authors.forename: Måns
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eeg-Olofsson
authors.affiliation: a * Department of Signals and Systems , Chalmers University of Technology , Gothenburg , Sweden.
authors.forename: Karl-Johan Fredén
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Jansson
authors.affiliation: a * Department of Signals and Systems , Chalmers University of Technology , Gothenburg , Sweden.
authors.forename: Emil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Håkansson
authors.affiliation: c Department of Computer Science and Engineering , Chalmers University of Technology , Gothenburg , Sweden.
authors.forename: Bayan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nasri
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D001302:Audiometry, Speech; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D001844:Bone Conduction; D006310:Hearing Aids; D006319:Hearing Loss, Sensorineural / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D019986:Persons with Hearing Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D013065:Speech Intelligibility; D013067:Speech Perception
keywords: Bone conduction implant; bone anchored hearing aid; implanted transducer; inductive links; long-term implantation