Microimplants powered by ultrasound

Researchers and doctors have long harbored the idea of creating miniature electronic devices that could be implanted into the body and used to monitor biological processes or targeted drug delivery.

However, until today, engineers have not been able to develop devices that were small enough and functional at the same time. One of the most difficult tasks is to provide power to such implants, since the use of wires and batteries makes them too large and inconvenient to use.

Researchers at Stanford University, working under the guidance of Associate Professor Amin Arbabian, propose to solve this problem with the help of ultrasonic waves penetrating through tissues without harm to the body and capable of supplying energy to implants up to 1 mm in size.

The approach developed by the authors is based on the phenomenon of piezoelectricity. During compression, the structure of the piezoelectric material changes in a certain way, and when the pressure decreases, it returns to its original state, which is accompanied by the release of a small electric charge. Under the action of ultrasonic waves, a tiny fragment of piezoelectric material attached to the implant surface is compressed and decompressed at a high frequency, which ensures that the device is supplied with a sufficient amount of energy.

The size of the first functional prototype of an ultrasound-powered implant,
comparable to the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen.
The developers hope to reduce it by another ten times
(photo by Arbabian Lab / Stanford School of Engineering).

Currently, researchers together with colleagues from other scientific institutions are working on the creation of ultrasound-powered implants for various medical purposes, ranging from the study of the nervous system to the treatment of symptoms of Parkinson's disease. To provide feedback to medical researchers or the attending physician, such implants will be equipped with a miniature radio antenna.

The first functional prototype of the device was presented at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) conference on specialized integrated circuits, held on September 15-17 in San Jose.

Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on Stanford University: Stanford engineers develop tiny, sound-powered chip to serve as a medical device.

21.10.2014