Robust magnetoelectric backscatter communication system for bioelectronic implants

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Abstract
Wireless communication technologies for bioelectronic implants enable remote monitoring for diagnosis and adaptive therapeutic intervention without the constraints of wired connections. However, wireless data uplink from millimeter-scale devices deep in the body struggles to achieve low power consumption while maintaining large misalignment tolerances. Here, we report a passive wireless backscatter communication system based on magnetoelectric transducers that consumes less than 0.3 pJ/bit and achieves less than 1E-6 bit error rate at a distance of 55 mm while tolerating a misalignment of 10 mm. Using this robust data uplink, we designed a wireless cardiac sensing node that can transmit electrocardiogram signals from the beating heart surface of a porcine model to a custom external transceiver using the magnetoelectric backscatter uplink. This reliable, near-zero-power communication method provides opportunities for next-generation bioelectronics to feature real-time physiological monitoring and closed-loop therapies while maintaining a small form factor and low power consumption.
Funding Information
  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (FA8650-21-1-7119)
  • Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (1AY1AX00000)
  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (R01HL144683)
  • National Science Foundation

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