Towards batteryless wearables and implants

Powering of wearables and implants is a critical challenge. Conventional batteries are rigid and require frequent recharging and/or replacement, making their use cumbersome and obtrusive for body-area applications. Instead, this paper discusses three novel technologies that we have recently explored towards batteryless wearables and implants, viz. a) DC power generation using fabric electrochemistry, b) RF power harvesting, and c) fully-passive RF backscattering. Notably, the proposed technologies bring forward transformational possibilities in batteryless sensing and stimulation.