Characterization of Magnetic Communication Through Human Body

Biomedical systems of implanted miniaturized sensors and actuators interconnected into an intra-body area net-work could revolutionize treatment options for chronic diseases afflicting internal organs. Considering the well-understood limitations of radio frequency (RF) propagation in the human body, we have explored magnetic resonance (MR) coupling for both communications and energy transfer through the body. In this paper, we have discussed the design and implementation of a software-defined prototype using Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) boards. We have reported experimental results on the achieved packet error rates at different positions through-the-body distances and packet sizes. We have observed experimentally that the MR signal propagates through the body substantially better than in the air, and can provide a practical means for energy transfer and communications in intra-body networks. It also works better than the better understood galvanic coupling.