Wearable wireless power systems for 'ME-BIT' magnetoelectric-powered bio implants

Area of Science:

• Bioelectronic devices
• Neuromodulation technologies
• Wireless power transfer

Background:

• Wirelessly powered biomedical devices offer advantages over battery-powered implants, including longevity, safety, and miniaturization.
• Magnetic fields are suitable for wireless power transfer in biological tissues but current methods require high frequencies or field strengths.
• Magnetoelectric (ME) materials offer a novel solution by converting low-frequency, low-magnitude magnetic fields into electric fields for powering implants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and demonstrate a wearable system capable of wirelessly powering a miniaturized neural stimulator.
• To evaluate the performance and safety of the wireless power transfer system for bioelectronic applications.

Main Methods:

• Designed a battery-powered wearable magnetic field generator.
• Developed a miniaturized MagnetoElectric-powered Bio ImplanT (ME-BIT) neural stimulator.
• Tested the system's ability to power the ME-BIT and stimulate a rat sciatic nerve at a distance of 4 cm.

Main Results:

• Successfully powered a millimeter-sized ME-BIT prototype using the wearable transmitter.
• Demonstrated electrical stimulation of a rat sciatic nerve with the wirelessly powered implant.
• Confirmed system performance under translational misalignment and identified safe operating ranges based on IEEE standards.

Conclusions:

• The developed wearable system is feasible for powering miniaturized ME implants.
• This technology validates a new approach for wireless power delivery in neuromodulation.
• The system offers a safe and effective solution for long-term bioelectronic device operation.