by Max Wolf
Innovators at Purdue University have developed a fully implantable chip for transmitting human health data to smart gadgets and biomedical devices. The research is published in the IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II.
The transmitter, created by Purdue designers, uses the same technologies as a regular mobile phone and smartwatch, but features, according to its creators, “an unprecedented level of miniaturization and low power consumption.” That is why the device can even be implanted into the eye – to control eye pressure in a patient with glaucoma. It is possible to embed the chip in other parts of the body, for example, in order to measure data related to the functions of the heart.
“The transmitter is an essential part of modern medical devices,” said Hansraj Bhamra, the scientist who prototyped a data transmission technology suitable for making miniature chips. “It provides a wireless link between a sensor node or biomedical device and a smartphone app. The user can both control the device via a smartphone app and receive biophysiological data in real time. In the latter case, the transmitter enables continuous, 24-hour monitoring of intraocular pressure in patients with glaucoma. ”
In addition to its low power consumption, the Purdue transmitter does not run on batteries, but directly from a wireless network. The creators of the biomedical device emphasize that batteries for medical chips are undesirable because they increase the size and weight of the device, and are also made of toxic materials and require frequent recharging or replacement operations.
the future of medicine
