Abstract
An unexpectedly simple implantable device that can achieve wireless neurostimulation consists of a short 1 cm long dipole platinum wire antenna, a Schottky diode, and a pulsed microwave transmitter. Fabricated into a 1 cm long by polyimide tubing, the implant can have a sub-millimeter diameter form factor suited to introduction into tissue by injection. Experiments that chronically implant the device next to a rat sciatic nerve show that a 915 MHz microwave transmitter emitting an average power of 0.5 watts has an ability to stimulate motor events when spaced up to 7 cm from the body surface. Tissue models consisting of saline filled tanks show the possibility of delivering milliampere pulsed current to neurosimulators though 5 centimeters or more of tissue. Such a neurostimulation system driven by microwave energy is limited in functional tissue depth by microwave SAR exposure. This report discusses some of the advantages and limitations of such a neurostimulation approach.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5006-5009 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Conference proceedings : ... Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Conference |
| Volume | 2012 |
| State | Published - Dec 1 2012 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Signal Processing
- Biomedical Engineering
- Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
- Health Informatics