Dr Philip Troyk – Associate Dean of Engineering

Technology for Advanced Neural Prostheses
Dr. Philip Troyk, Illinois Institute of Technology

Dr. Troyk is Associate Dean of Engineering, and a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology; he has a broad range of research interests related to neuroprostheses. Neuroprosthetic devices are implantable electronic modules that interface with the biological nervous system for the purpose of compensating for deficit, or disease, by mimicking normal sensory or motor function. Examples are neuromuscular stimulators for functional electrical stimulation (FES), implantable sensors for FES control, and cortical interfaces in which hundreds or thousands of electrodes sense and stimulate neurons within the central nervous system. The research work is highly interdisciplinary, using engineering principles and technology from electrical, computer, materials, mechanical, and chemical engineering. Design and fabrication of reliable implantable neuroprosthetic devices requires advancements in packaging of implantable electronics (hermetic and polymeric), VLSI integrated circuit design, transcutaneous magnetic coupling of power and data, as well as defining system architectures. His active research projects include development of implantable myoelectric sensors (IMES) for control of prostheses, and wireless transmission of ECoG signals for diagnosis of epilepsy. He is leader of a large multi-institutional team working to develop an intracortical visual prosthesis for individuals with blindness, as well as founder and CEO of Sigenics, Inc – an ASIC design company located in Chicago and Irwindale, CA.