Multi-Access Networking with Wireless Ultrasound-Powered Implants

Phased Array Beamforming Methods for Powering Biomedical Ultrasonic Implants

Millimeter-scale implants using ultrasound (US) for power and communication have been proposed for a range of deep-tissue applications, including neural recording and stimulation. However, published implementations have shown high sensitivity to misalignment with the external US transducer. Ultrasonic beamforming using a phased array to these implants can improve tolerance to misalignment, reduce implant volume, and allow multiple implants to be operated simultaneously in different locations. This article details the design of a custom planar phased array US system, which is capable of steering and focusing US power within a 3-D volume. Analysis and simulation is performed to determine the choice of array element pitch, with special attention given to maximizing the power available at the implant while meeting FDA limits for diagnostic US. Time reversal (TR) is proposed as a computationally simple approach to beamforming that is robust despite scattering and inhomogeneity of the acoustic medium. This technique is demonstrated both in active drive and pulse-echo modes, and it is experimentally compared with other beamforming techniques by measuring energy transfer efficiency. Simultaneous power delivery to multiple implants is also demonstrated.

Lithium Niobate Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers for high data-rate intrabody communication

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in continuous monitoring of patients and their Implanted Medical Devices (IMDs) with different wireless technologies such as ultrasounds. This paper demonstrates a high data-rate intrabody communication link based on Lithium Niobate (LN) Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers (pMUTs). The properties of the LN allow to activate multiple flexural mode of vibration with only top electrodes. When operating in materials like the human tissue, these modes are merging and forming a large communication bandwidth. Such large bandwidth, up to 400 kHz, allows for a high-data rate communication link for IMDs. Here we demonstrate a full communication link in a tissue phantom with a fabricated LN pMUT array of 225 elements with an area of just 3 by 3 mm square, showing data-rates up to 800 kbits/s, starting from 3.5 cm and going up to 13.5 cm, which covers the vast majority of IMDs.

This paper demonstrates Lithium Niobate based Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers. The devices allow activation of multiple vibration modes, achieve a high communication link, and monitor an implanted medical device up to 13.5 cm inside the body.

Fast Computation of Born-Approximated Multistatic Scattering

An algorithm for the fast computation of multistatic scattering patterns, produced by low-contrast inhomogeneous volumetric objects, which satisfy the Born approximation assumption, is presented. The algorithm relies on hierarchical interpolation and aggregation of optimally sampled phase-compensated partial contributions to the scattered field integral. The Born approximation enables the efficient simultaneous computation for ranges of incident and observation angles, as well as excitation frequencies. This leads to a reduction in the asymptotic computational complexity by several polynomial orders of the problem's acoustical size. The algorithm's error controllability and favorable computation time are demonstrated via representative examples.

High Throughput Ultrasonic Multi-implant Readout Using a Machine-Learning Assisted CDMA Receiver

Untethered, wireless peripheral nerve recording for prosthetic control requires multi-implant communications at high data rates. This work presents a multiple-access ultrasonic uplink data communication channel comprised of 4 free-floating implants and a single-element external transducer. Using code-division multiple access (CDMA), overall channel data rates of up to 784 kbps were measured, and a machine-learning assisted decoder improved BER by >100x. Compared with prior art, this work incorporates the largest number of implants at the highest data rate and spectral efficiency reported.