SmILE Partners Meet in Ghent to Advance Implant Integration and Sensor Design

In mid-October, partners from Work Packages 4 and 5 of the SmILE project met in Ghent, Belgium, for an in-depth technical exchange hosted by IMEC.

The meeting brought together experts working on hardware design, sensor integration, and medical device augmentation. To bridge the gap between engineering and clinical application, the use case leaders brought along various implants and prostheses. Seeing and handling these devices helped participants better understand their size, geometry, and available space — aspects that are crucial for planning the integration of electronic components.

Discussions focused on the optimal positioning of the chip platform, sensors, and antenna within the implants and prosthetics. The team reviewed feasible design options and explored which parameters — such as pressure, strain, or motion — can be realistically measured within each medical device.

This hands-on exchange helped align the technical requirements with the physical and clinical constraints of the implants, laying a solid foundation for the upcoming design and integration phase.