Batteries are critical components of implantable medical devices but require surgical intervention, and associated risks, to be replaced. A battery-free means of powering and communicating with devices implanted deep within the human body has been developed by researchers from MIT, Harvard University and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

The implants are powered by radio frequency waves, which can safely pass through human tissues. In tests in A new way to wirelessly power and communicate with devices implanted deep within the human body has been developed. Source: MITA new way to wirelessly power and communicate with devices implanted deep within the human body has been developed. Source: MITanimals, the researchers showed that the waves can power devices located 10 cm deep in tissue, from a distance of 1 m. If the sensors are located very close to the skin’s surface, they can be powered from up to 38 m away. The mid-field coupling technique successfully delivered power sensors inside an animal model at levels high enough to run a range of medical devices.

Without the need for a battery, implants can be further miniaturized. A prototype about the size of a grain of rice was designed and tested by the researchers.

Wirelessly powering implantables with radio waves emitted by antennas has been difficult to achieve since radio waves dissipate as they pass through the body and become too weak to supply enough power. A new In Vivo Networking (IVN) system overcomes this limitation with an array of antennas that emit radio waves of slightly different frequencies. The waves overlap during transmission and combine in different ways. Where the high points of the waves overlap, they can provide enough energy to power an implanted sensor.

With the IVN system, clinicians won’t need to pinpoint the exact location of sensors in the body, as the power is transmitted over a large area. Along with a burst of power, sensors also receive a signal telling them to relay information back to the antenna. This signal could also be used to stimulate release of a drug, a burst of electricity or a pulse of light.

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