Early History and Challenges of Implantable Electronics

Implantable systems for biomedical research and clinical care are now a flourishing field of activities in academia as well as industrial institutions. The broad field includes experimental explorations in electronics, mechanical, chemical, and biological components and systems, and the combination of all these. Today virtually all implants involve both electronic circuits and micro-electro-mechanical-systems (MEMS). This article offers a very brief glance back at the early history of implant electronics in the period from the 1950s to the 1970s, by employing selected examples from the author's research. This short review also discusses the challenges of implantable electronics at present, and suggests some potentially important trends in the future research and development of implantable microsystems. It is aimed as an introduction of implantable/attached electronic systems to research engineers that are interested in implantable systems as a section of Biomedical Instrumentations.