A Study of Magnetic Resonance and Ultrasound Based Through-the-Body Communications

This paper explores the application of Magnetic Resonance Coupling (MRC) and Ultrasonic Coupling (USC) for through-the-body wireless communication (TBWC) for biomedical applications. Detailed (on-body/in-body) simulations using the Sim4Life package and real-world on-body experiments are used to evaluate signal propagation, power transfer efficiency, and path-loss characteristics through this complex media. The results indicate that although USC has a somewhat smaller attenuation at lower frequencies, MRC demonstrates a more consistent performance with frequency variation and a smaller difference between in-body and on-body scenarios. These results, coupled with the fact that the lowest attenuation occurs around 25–30 MHz, for which USC transducers are very difficult to design, suggests that MRC provides a desired technology for intrabody networks.