Scientists from Stanford are now compounding their efforts working on latest technological advancement in medical devices. They are developing a tiny, ultrasound-powered microchip that is intended for implantation deep inside the body where it can perform various medical functions. This chip can reportedly monitor vital signs and detect illness, monitor biological processes, relieve pain, and deliver other forms of pinpoint therapy.
So far, the engineers have been unsuccessful in creating a device small enough, with the appropriate capabilities, for this undertaking. One of the stumbling blocks that they have encountered is the provision of power to such a device, saying that the use of batteries for power wires would make the implant too big and too cumbersome. They are now working on a way that they can deliver power to the device wirelessly. They are studying if directing ultrasound waves onto these "Smart chips" will do the trick.
Stanford Assistant professor of Electrical Engineering, Amin Arbabian, said that, "We I think this will enable researchers to develop a new generation of tiny implant designed for a wide array of medical applications." At the moment, these devices are intended to carry out three major functions inside the body: "convert the incoming sound waves into electricity; process and execute medical commands; and report the completed activity via a tiny built in radio antenna."
The researchers believe that ultrasound is the ideal way of delivering wireless power onto these medical implants because of the lost standing track record of this process for aiding medical procedures. Ultrasound is highly effective when used for fetal imaging, and has also been known to provide sufficient power to previous implants that were as big as or less than a millimeter in size.
According to Prof. Florian Solzbacher from the Center for Engineering Innovation at the University of Utah, "Tiny, wireless nodes such as these have the potential to become a key tool for addressing neurological disorders."
