Researchers are looking at ways to power devices that are implanted inside the human body. This could be a potentially huge breakthrough in how to control and monitor human conditions.
MIT researchers worked with scientists from Brigham and Women’s Hospital to develop a power-to-power and connect with devices deep within the human body. These devices may be able to deliver medication, treat diseases through brain stimulation using electricity, as well as monitor conditions.
How it Works:
The implants are powered by radio frequency waves. These waves pass through human tissues. Researchers tested the depth at which devices could be controlled in animals. They found that waves can reach devices located 10 centimetres deep, from a distance of one meter.
What makes this so revolutionary is that they do not require a battery. Since they do not require a battery, the device can be extremely small. In this study, researchers tested a prototype that was the size of a grain of rice.
Wireless Communication Methods:
Implantable bodily devices allow doctors a new way to diagnose, treat, and monitor various diseases. Researchers at this lab are working on different ingestible systems that can deliver drugs, monitor vital signs and detect movement in the gastrointestinal tract.
Implications for Neurological Disease:
Currently, Parkinsons disease and epilepsy patients may have an implantable electrode that delivers an electrical current used for deep brain stimulation. A pacemaker-like device that is implanted beneath the skin controls them, but this could be eliminated if wireless power is adopted.
Additionally, Wireless brain implants can be used in optogenetics, which helps deliver light to stimulate or inhibit neuron activity.
Implanted Devices on the Market:
Currently, implantable devices like pacemakers have their own batteries, which come with a limited lifespan. There are potential insights into using radio waves emitted through antennas outside of the body. However, this has been difficult to achieve because radio waves tend to disperse as they pass through the body. This renders them too weak to supply enough power.
To overcome this, researchers created a system called “In Vivo Networking” (IVN). This system relies on various antennas that emit radio waves of different frequencies. As the radio waves travel, they combine in different ways and can provide enough energy to power an implanted sensor.
How This Method is Different:
By choosing frequencies that are different from one another, researchers are confident that at some point, these are going to reach their high level frequencies at the same time. When they reach the same level at the same time, they are able to overcome the energy threshold that is required to power the device.
With this system, researchers don’t need to know the exact location of the sensors in the body because the power is transmitted over a large area. The sensors not only get a burst of power, but they also receive a signal telling them to relay information back to the antenna. This is used to stimulate the release of a drug, electricity, or a pulse of light.
We can’t wait until this product is actually effective on patients!
