Sound-powered tiny implantable chip to act as medical device

Bs_logoImage
Press Trust of India Washington
Last Updated : Oct 27 2014 | 2:46 PM IST
Stanford scientists are working on gen-next medical devices that would be implanted deep inside the body to monitor illness, deliver therapies and relieve pain by using ultrasound to supply power wirelessly.
Providing electric power to medical implants has been one stumbling block. Using wires or batteries to deliver power tends to make implants too big, too clumsy - or both.
Now, engineers are developing a way to send power - safely and wirelessly - to "smart chips" programmed to perform medical tasks and report back the results.
Their approach involves beaming ultrasound at a tiny device inside the body designed to do three things: convert the incoming sound waves into electricity; process and execute medical commands; and report the completed activity via a tiny built-in radio antenna.
"We think this will enable researchers to develop a new generation of tiny implants designed for a wide array of medical applications," said Amin Arbabian, an assistant professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University.
Arbabian's team recently presented a working prototype of this wireless medical implant system at the IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference in San Jose.
Researchers chose ultrasound to deliver wireless power to their medical implants because it has been safely used in many applications, such as foetal imaging, and can provide sufficient power to implants a millimetre or less in size.
Now Arbabian and his colleagues are collaborating with other researchers to develop sound-powered implants for a variety of medical applications, from studying the nervous system to treating the symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
"Tiny, wireless nodes such as these have the potential to become a key tool for addressing neurological disorders," said Florian Solzbacher, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Utah and director of its Centre for Engineering Innovation.
The Stanford medical implant chip is powered by "piezoelectricity," electricity caused by pressure.
In a piezoelectric material, pressure compresses its molecular structure much like a child jumping on a bed compresses the mattress. When the pressure abates, the piezoelectric material's molecular structure, like the mattress, springs back into shape.
Every time a piezoelectric structure is compressed and decompressed a small electrical charge is created. The team created pressure by aiming ultrasound waves at a tiny piece of piezoelectric material mounted on the device.
"The implant is like an electrical spring that compresses and decompresses a million times a second, providing electrical charge to the chip," said researcher Marcus Weber.
In the future, the team plans to extend the capabilities of the implant chip to perform medical tasks, such as running sensors or delivering therapeutic jolts of electricity right where a patient feels pain.
Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Oct 27 2014 | 2:46 PM IST