Implantable sensory system

A sensory system (10) for use in restoring sensation to a foot of a patient, comprising:

• at least one force sensor (12) for being implanted subcutaneously within a foot of a patient;
• and
• a separate base unit (18) for powering said at least one sensor (12) and for receiving data from said at least one sensor (12);
• wherein said at least one force sensor (12) is configured to transmit wireless communication signals to said base unit (18) in response to forces sensed by said at least one sensor (12), is configured to transmit the wireless communication signals to said base unit (18) by magnetic human body communication (mHBC), and is configured to sense normal and shear components of forces and to transmit data concerning the forces to said base unit (18);
• and
• wherein said at least one force sensor (12) is for being implanted subcutaneously on a plantar surface of a foot of a patient, wherein said base unit (18) is for being implanted subcutaneously in a leg of the patient and has a nerve cuff (20) for applying peripheral nerve stimulation to a tibial nerve of the patient, and wherein said base unit (18) is configured to apply peripheral nerve stimulation to the tibial nerve based on the wireless communication signals received from said at least one force sensor (12);
• wherein said at least one force sensor (12) and said base unit (18) are configured to provide a closed-loop system transmitting tactile sensations from the plantar surface of the foot via said at least one force sensor (12) to the tibial nerve via the peripheral nerve stimulation applied by said base unit (18);
• wherein said at least one force sensor (12) is configured to sense normal and shear components of ground reaction forces experienced during standing and walking and to transmit data concerning the forces to said base unit (18);
• wherein said base unit (18) includes an application-specific integrated circuit (46) for communicating with said at least one sensor (12);
• and
• wherein said application-specific integrated circuit (46) of said base unit (18) is configured to transmit a carrier signal via a base unit coil (54) to said at least one sensor (12) and receive said communication signals from said at least one sensor (12) as backscattered signals corresponding to a measured force vector from said at least one sensor (12).