Mehdi Khantan
• Engineer
• Neurotechnologist
• Innovator
I’m an electrical and embedded systems engineer building production-ready medical devices and surgical robotics. I work across the full hardware stack, from mixed-signal circuit and PCB design to real-time firmware, signal processing, and machine learning, to deliver reliable, manufacturable systems for safety-critical applications. My work spans surgical robots, brain–computer interfaces, neurostimulation platforms, and wearable assistive devices, taken from concept through verification and regulatory readiness.
About Me
I’m a Senior Electrical Development Engineer at Zimmer Biomet, where I work on surgical robotics for orthopedic procedures, contributing to system-level electrical architecture, hardware integration, and the verification and validation activities required for Class II medical devices.
I earned my Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Temple University, which I pursued alongside my research at the Raphael Center for Neurorestoration at Thomas Jefferson University, the two ran concurrently throughout my time at Jefferson. My doctoral research was in bioprocessing: harvesting the natural processing capability of living neurons to build computational units, an effort to use biological neural networks themselves as a substrate for computing.
At the Raphael Center, I spent four years as Lead Engineer and Scientist developing neurotechnology and medical devices for people living with motor impairments from brain or spinal cord injury and stroke. That work ranged from BCI-driven exoskeletons and wireless functional electrical stimulation to closed-loop spinal cord stimulation platforms and novel systems for interfacing with biological neural networks.
My expertise covers the full system: circuit and PCB design, embedded firmware, signal processing, and machine learning. I care about building technologies that are not only advanced, but reliable, manufacturable, and genuinely useful to the people who depend on them.
Technical Skills
Circuit & PCB Design: Analog, digital, and mixed-signal systems; HDI and high-speed controlled-impedance layout with signal and power integrity focus (Altium, KiCad)
Embedded Systems & Firmware: Bare-metal and RTOS development on ARM Cortex/STM32, ESP32, PIC, AVR, and FPGA; real-time, latency-constrained, safety-critical firmware in C/C++
Sensors, Motors & Power: Precision sensor front-ends, ADC/DAC integration, motor driver electronics, and power management
Communication & Wireless: UART, SPI, I²C, I²S, CAN, JTAG/SWD; RF, BLE, ZigBee, and TCP/IP
FPGA & IC Design: Verilog/VHDL on Xilinx and Altera; CMOS analog/digital IC and VLSI design
Signal Processing: Real-time filtering, feature extraction, spike detection and sorting, spectral analysis, and artifact removal for neural and medical signals
Machine Learning: Supervised and unsupervised methods (SVM, KNN, Random Forest, PCA); GPU-accelerated computing with CUDA and PyTorch
Medical Device Development: Full-stack design through V&V and regulatory compliance (FDA, Class II)
Building Intelligent Systems That Bridge Biology and Technology
I design and develop custom PCBs, adapters, embedded devices, and complete hardware–software systems. I also build signal processing pipelines and machine learning solutions tailored for research, medical devices, and intelligent hardware.
If you’re looking for custom design or development support, I’m available for freelance projects.
Let’s discuss your project and explore how I can help bring your idea into reality.
What I’m Developing
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” — Steve Jobs
Assistive Devices
Wearable exoskeletons and stimulation systems that restore movement using mechanical actuators or neuromuscular stimulation. These devices help patients regain voluntary control, balance, and mobility after injury.
Brain–Computer Interfaces (BCI)
Developing recording systems, MEAs, signal processing pipelines, and ML models to decode neural activity. The goal is to restore communication and movement for individuals with severe impairments.
Organic Intelligence
Researching ways to interconnect biological neural networks (BNNs) into scalable, low-power processors, opening the path to future biological computing systems.
Technology
Technology is not just about circuits, code, or devices—it is about extending human potential. I believe the true measure of innovation lies in how it bridges our ideas with the real world: helping us understand it more deeply while also improving lives, expanding possibilities, and opening new ways of interaction. For me, engineering is exploration. Every design is a step toward understanding the dialogue between humans and machines. My goal is not only to build tools, but to create technologies that are adaptive, meaningful, and sustainable for the future. I also believe every engineer carries two essential responsibilities: To invent technologies that push the boundaries of what is possible. To make those technologies accessible—through scalability, efficiency, and affordability—so that everyone who needs them can benefit.
Skills and Experiences
Bio-Processing – Research into harnessing biological neural networks (BNNs) as a computing substrate, including methods for interconnection and communication to enable low-power, adaptive processing.
Brain–Computer Interfaces (BCI) – Development of systems for real-time neural data processing, spike detection, and machine learning–based control to restore communication and movement.
Spinal Cord Stimulation – Design of closed-loop neurostimulation platforms that support rehabilitation and functional recovery after injury.
Wearable Technology & Exoskeletons – Engineering of assistive and rehabilitation devices that enhance mobility through mechanical actuation and neuromuscular stimulation.
Medical Device Development – Full-stack expertise from circuit design and firmware to software, prototyping, and clinical-ready systems.
Tactile & Sensory Stimulation Systems – Creation of mechanical and electrical devices for sensory substitution, therapy, and rehabilitation research.
Microelectrode Array (MEA) Design – Custom high-density electrode systems for recording and stimulating neural activity in vitro and in vivo.
Environmental & IoT Systems – Development of monitoring stations and IoT-based automation for climate, hydroclimatology, and agricultural applications.
Laboratory Instrumentation – Design and fabrication of specialized tools and devices for neuroscience and biomedical research.
Robotics & Control Systems – FPGA- and microcontroller-based systems for automation, precision motor control, and autonomous robotics.
Smart Greenhouse Automation – IoT-driven climate control and irrigation systems with integrated web dashboards and voice-control support.