LEDudes
Vanderbilt University
Dan Arthur: B.E. Biomedical Engineering, 2017
Jeff Craig: B.E. Biomedical Engineering/Chemical Engineering, 2017
Reid McCallister: B.E. Biomedical Engineering, 2017
Bronson Wessinger: B.E. Biomedical Engineering, 2017
Bowen Yang: B.E. Biomedical Engineering/Chemical Engineering, 2017
Narrative
Executive Summary
The approach to aiding the research of optimizing visual and auditory stimuli will involve a uniquely crafted LED display. A 32×32 array of LEDs will be anchored into a concave scaffold. Currently, the framework for the scaffold involves eight arms all with one audio speaker. We are going to build a “satellite dish” around that framework that the LEDs will be incorporated into. The idea is to generate specific Gabor, Gaussian, or Spherical patterns on the LED display that a monkey will be subjected to in conjunction with auditory stimuli from the speakers. The relationship between the luminescence, frequency, and location of the bright shapes with different auditory stimuli from the speakers will provide valuable insight into the study of neuron optimization.
The scope Dr. Ramachandran’s research on neuron optimization is intensely applied and niche to his academic realm. Essentially, we are doing contract work for his lab. The problem was presented to our team, but there is a specific solution that caters to his needs. However, the methods and materials to achieve that vision have leeway, but competition is not an attribute to be considered for the project.
We have yet to complete the project, but there is no indication that it cannot be done. Our solution warrants no need for medical device approval. It’s roots and functionality are entirely hinged on research. We are attempting to optimize the auditory neuronal pathways for measurement during sensory experiments but do not seek to cure, mitigate, or treat a disease. Approval for use will instead be granted by the Vanderbilt IRB, who will confirm that this device does not cause any unnecessary harm to test animals.
Our current market is Dr. Ramachandran’s Lab. If the LED display proves to be a novel and effective tool for auditory and visual neuron research, it could potentially be applicable to other principal investigators that delve into similar fields. In the United States there are currently 115 R1 level Research Universities. Between each there is certainly either a department of neurology or psychology that focuses on hearing and speech. These only include universities with the highest research activity and exclude thousands of other universities that could potentially be customers. The budget to build our working scaffold is $200. Including the functional code on MATLAB and ARDUINO, a fair price could be somewhere over $1000.
Problem To Be Solved
In natural environments, events typically produce a combination of energies that activate receptors of multiple sensory modalities (e.g., a bird flapping its wings will activate visual and auditory sensory receptors). Such multisensory activation results in perceptual advantages: the detection/localization/identification is enhanced relative to energies that activate only single modality receptors, and further, multisensory activation results in faster behavioral responses relative to unisensory activation. These behavioral processes have been well studied, but the neuronal basis has not been well studied. Very specifically, it is not clear how the activity patterns of neurons relate to perceptual variability on a trial by trial basis, and it is not clear exactly what the critical brain sites are for multisensory perception. In addition, it is not clear what the computations are that underlie these behavioral and neurophysiological responses. It is to determine these that we are doing our current experiments.
Our major goal is to determine how we choose one event in an environment that is chock full of events. This phenomenon, target selection, has been well studied when the events activate just visual receptors. We will extend the studies of visual target selection into the more natural multisensory domain by performing experiments with combinations of visual and auditory stimuli. Additionally, we can modify the salience of the sounds or lights by changing their reliability.
Experimental details:
Monkeys will orient (move their eyes towards) a salient event in the event rich environment. These events can be auditory, visual, or combined auditory-visual. The monkeys will be rewarded for their correct choice. Simultaneous recordings of neurophysiological and behavioral activity will allow us to correlate the two to answer one of the big questions. Our big concern is to generate visual stimuli for which we can alter the perceptual reliability. The goal is to create a spatial Gabor patch or a spatial Gaussian patch that will degrade the spatial reliability of the visual stimulus.
Design goal
We would like to design a bank of LEDs (16 x 16 or 32 x 32) that will cover the frontal visual field. This patch should be controlled by an Arduino or Raspberry Pi or some other simple controller that can be added on to our existing system. The LEDs should be addressable in two modes – (i) individual LEDs; and (ii) Gaussian or Gabor patches that can be addressed based on the center of the patch and the standard deviation/width measure. In addition, we should be able to modulate the peak luminance of this patch based on the controlling the Arduino/Raspberry Pi system.
Prototype of Final Design
Proof Of Function
As the design team is still in the planning stages of this project, no test data or preclinical/clinical trials are currently available. Some laboratories studying visual and auditory localization use LEDs as visual targets, as does Jorg Lewald in his 1998 study. However, no researchers or other entities of which we are aware have used an LED bank to mitigate the reliability of the visual sense. Although our product is novel and useful, it is specific to a particular pre-existing laboratory setup and does not have many obvious applications beyond psychology experiments. Therefore, there is not a high market potential for this apparatus.
Patent Search
While much work has been performed recently in developing new applications and designs for LED fields, there are no current patents detailing a design similar to ours. In fact, there are 0 search results on the uspto website when searching for “Circular LED Display” and “Round LED Display.” While some LED displays are able to be folded or are flexible (see patents 9,472,129 and 9,093,570 respectively), none are made for a circular application such as ours. However, there are many LED screens that can create shapes and cause individual LEDs to light up.
No designs are currently being used to solve the problem of neuronal optimization in primates during auditory localization experiments. However, our final design is constrained by the need to shape this LED bank entirely to fit the needs of the Ramachandran Lab. An alternate design that could later compete with our design is one that integrates LEDs onto a scaffold that can be shaped to any application. This would be marketed more easily to laboratories pursuing many different topics, as well as businesses and the general public.
Regulatory Pathway
Because this apparatus does not intend to function as a medical device, FDA approval will not be necessary. We are attempting to optimize the auditory neuronal pathways for measurement during sensory experiments but do not seek to cure, mitigate, or treat a disease. Approval for use will instead be granted by the Vanderbilt IRB, who will confirm that this device does not cause any unnecessary harm to test animals.
Reimbursement
We do not expect this apparatus to be reimbursable by Medicare or Medicaid. Because it is for use in a laboratory setting on non-human subjects, financial reimbursement is not applicable.
Estimated Costs
The LEDs that are used have a size of ¾ inch with a luminous intensity of 13,000 mcd. The cost of these specific LEDs are $0.15 each and the project requires 1024 LEDs to complete the design. This suggests that the cost of the LEDs will be $153.60, assuming no LEDs need to be replaced. An Arduino Uno R3 is required to control the LED bank and this device can be purchased for $24.95. The screen that the LEDs are situated on will cost an additional $20.00. These components are the only manufacturing costs required for this apparatus, so the total cost of building the device will be $198.55.
Potential Market
This product is to be developed in collaboration with Dr. Ramachandran of the Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. The research conducted at Vanderbilt will be the primary use of this product. Other possible customers would be academic institutions conducting similar optical or multisensory research. From this product, the users will be able to investigate multisensory integration or the visual stimulus response at a deeper level than previously possible. As the LED device was created in collaboration with Dr. Ramachandran’s lab, there will be no market price established for the product. With an estimated production cost of approximately $200 excluding labor, and a minimal market, the selling price of the product would be estimated at $1,000.
Website
https://my.vanderbilt.edu/ledudes/
Letter Of Support
A letter of support is being written by Dr. Ramachandran and will be added to the grant proposal upon completion.