Megan Christy
R&D Engineering Internship
@ Synchron
Summer 2022
Description
During the summer of 2022, I was an intern at Synchron. Synchron is a young medical device company that makes the Stentrode, a brain computer interface (BCI) that allows patients with paralysis to control a computer without the use of their hands. At Synchron, I was an R&D Engineering Intern on the Neural Interfaces and Mechanical Systems team. My primary role at the company was to help advance the design characterization testing. I developed 2D and 3D models of neural vasculature from MRI data for use in design characterization testing and physician training. I used 3D slicer to convert the MRI data to a mesh, and then I used SolidWorks to convert the mesh into a 3D model suitable fore SLA 3D printing. I also wrote and executed test methods for design characterization of the Stentrode and catheter delivery system using these models. Besides my work with the Stentrode, I also designed and 3D printed fixtures for design characterization of the lead and internal unit. Finally, I implemented a calibration management software to save time and money in the future when the team reached design verification.
I interned with Synchron because I wanted an internship where I could apply technical skills I learned in my engineering curriculum to a real medical device. Particularly, I was introduced to bioelectricity and neural prosthetics during my junior year and was fascinated that it was possible to interact with the body through electrical signals. With this newfound interest and my passion for R&D, Synchron was the perfect place for my internship.
Reflection
On the first day of my internship, the team received an initial prototype of a physician training model of the neurovasculature. The team and I assembled it and tested it right away, and immediately broke it. This failure was difficult because this model was supposed to be the focus of the rest of my internship. However, instead of dropping the project, my goals simply shifted. My main project became redesigning this model and adapting it to better fit the teams goals. Since the device was broken I also experienced some lag time waiting for parts to be ordered and shipped, leaving me with some free time. I used this as an opportunity to take on other projects, including the fixture design and asset management projects.
A particularly innovative part of my internship was designing a fixture for the design characterization of the lead and the internal unit of the BCI. The team needed a way to fix each of these device components into a tensile testing machine to determine the forces acting on it in different situations. In order to be suitable for the FDA regulations, this fixture needed to ensure that the components would be in the exact same position every time and not move during testing. I designed a sliding and aligning mechanism that interfaced with the tensile tester that I used on clamps for the internal unit and the lead. I designed a V clamp with knurling that would self center on the cylindrical lead, and an exact mold clamp for the internal unit. I went through many iterations for each of these and had to consider small changes for improvements after testing of each one.
The most important thing I learned from my internship at Synchron is how intricately intertwined the various teams are at a medical device company. Specifically, the electrical and mechanical engineering teams need to work closely together on the design of a device, but the quality team also is involved at every step ensuring that each action meets FDA standards. Meanwhile, the clinical and UX/UI teams are actively receiving user feedback that should be integrated into next iterations of the device. Given the small size and collaborative nature of the company, I was able to interact with all of these teams and see first hand how integral everyone is to the development of these devices.
Artifact
My final deliverable at the end of my internship at Synchron was a presentation to the whole company describing all of the work I did and my takeaways from the internship.