Active photonic wireless power transfer into live tissues

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Optoelectronics

Background:

• Soft materials and mechanics advancements drive new electrical medical implant development.
• Current electronic implants face limitations due to high power demands and short usage periods.
• Existing power harvesting methods struggle with power density, biocompatibility, and tissue damage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel active photonic power transfer system for sustainable energy in medical implants.
• To overcome limitations of current power solutions for implantable electronics.
• To enable long-term and diverse functionalities of electrical medical implants.

Main Methods:

• Developed a system with a skin-attachable photon source patch and an implantable photovoltaic device array.
• Photons emitted from the patch penetrate live tissues to power the implant.
• Demonstrated thermal and mechanical compatibility with live tissues through in vivo animal experiments.

Main Results:

• The active photonic power transfer system provides sustainable electrical power for medical implants.
• The system is simple, enabling direct current to direct current power transfer without extra circuits.
• Feasibility was confirmed through in vivo animal studies showing thermal and mechanical compatibility.

Conclusions:

• The active photonic power transfer approach offers a viable solution for powering implantable medical electronics.
• This technology can significantly extend the usage period of current implants.
• It accelerates the development of next-generation electrical implants requiring higher power for advanced functions.