Intra-Body Wireless Power and Data Links for Biomedical Microsystems

Implantable biomedical microsystems are envisioned to offer precise sensing and interpretation of the conditions in the body, for long-term monitoring, early-stage disease detection and management. However, to enable the long-term operation and miniaturized form factor demanded from the implants, wireless powering and data acquisition have become the key challenge. In this paper, starting from the heterogeneous functionalities and requirements of the implantable microsystems, we will review and discuss the intra-body wireless power and data transmission mechanisms, their characteristics and applicability for heterogeneous implantable microsystems. After identifying the challenges faced by each power and data transmission mechanism, the design considerations, optimization and the power and data link integration will be analyzed.