Video-Capable Ultrasonic Wireless Communications through Biological Tissues

TL;DR

This paper introduces ultrasonic wireless communication for implanted medical devices, enabling high data rate video streaming through biological tissues, overcoming limitations of traditional RF methods.

Contribution

It presents a novel ultrasonic communication system tailored for IMDs, achieving video-capable data rates through biological tissues with advanced signal processing.

Findings

Achieved video data rates with ultrasonic communication through tissues

Demonstrated system effectiveness in water and ex vivo tissues

Enabled high-quality video streaming in biological environments

Abstract

Wireless implanted medical devices (IMDs) provide ease and comfort to an increasing number of patients and physicians. Currently, radiofrequency electromagnetic waves are the most commonly used method for communicating wirelessly with IMDs. However, due to the restrictions on the available bandwidth and the employable power, data rates of RF-based IMDs are limited to 267 kbps. Considering standard definition video streaming requiring 1.2 mbps and high definition requiring 3 mbps bitrates, it is not possible to use such devices for high data rate communication applications such as video streaming. In this work, an alternative method that utilizes ultrasonic waves for IMDs to relay information at high data rates is introduced. Advanced signal processing and communication techniques are tailored to realize the full potential of the ultrasonic channel through biological tissues. Consequently, the experiments demonstrate that video-capable data rates can be achieved with mm-sized transducers communicating through water, ex vivo beef liver, ex vivo pork chop, and in situ through the rabbit abdomen.