Characterization of Passive Wireless Electrocardiogram Acquisition in Adult Zebrafish

Zebrafish have been demonstrated as an ideal vertebrate model system for a wide range of bio-studies. Along with conventional approaches, monitoring and analysis of zebrafish electrocardiogram (ECG) have been utilized for cardio-physiolog-ical screening and elucidation. However, existing approaches involving the use of anesthesia failed to provide intrinsic ECG signals. In this work, we propose and characterize wireless power transfer (WPT) via inductive coupling to power an ECG zebrafish implant and a backscattering mechanism for data communication. The inductive link was realized using the solenoid configuration to resolve misalignment issues. Power transfer efficiency (PTE) was characterized and test data were successfully obtained in different practical scenario. Therefore, we speculate our approach would pave the way for continuous ECG monitoring of freely-swimming zebrafish without disrupting their normal activities, supporting various biological investigations.