A scalable data transmission scheme for implantable optogenetic visual prostheses

Objective. This work described a video information processing scheme for optogenetic forms of visual cortical prosthetics. Approach. The architecture is designed to perform a processing sequence: Initially simplifying the scene, followed by a pragmatic visual encoding scheme which assumes that initially optical stimulation will be stimulating bulk neural tissue rather than driving individual phosphenes. We demonstrate an optical encoder, combined with what we called a zero-run length encoding (zRLE) video compression and decompression scheme-to wirelessly transfer information to an implantable unit in an efficient manner. In the final step, we have incorporated an even power distribution driver to prevent excessive power fluctuations in the optogenetic driving. Significance. The key novelty in this work centres on the completeness of the scheme, the new zRLE compression algorithm and our even power distributor. Main results. Furthermore, although the paper focusses on the algorithm, we confirm that it can be implemented on real time portable processing hardware which we will use for our visual prosthetics.