Bio-integrated ${\mu}$Bots with Overtone Ultra-Wideband Magnetoelectric Antennas for Wireless Telemetry

TL;DR

This paper introduces ultra-wideband magnetoelectric antennas integrated into miniature robots, enabling stable, biocompatible wireless telemetry in biological environments with broad frequency coverage and robustness to orientation.

Contribution

The development of overtone ultra-wideband magnetoelectric antennas that operate efficiently in biological settings and are integrated into scalable, biocompatible micro-robots for wireless communication.

Findings

Achieved 22.6 GHz bandwidth in the 3-4 GHz range.

Demonstrated stable operation under biological loading and biocompatibility.

Enabled real-time audiovisual telemetry and compatibility with 7T MRI.

Abstract

Implantable and wearable devices require antennas that are both miniaturized and efficient, yet conventional designs are constrained by narrow bandwidth and orientation sensitivity. We report overtone ultra-wideband magnetoelectric (OUWB-ME) antennas that exploit higher order acoustic modes in polished silicon substrates to achieve a 22.6 GHz bandwidth in the 3-4 GHz range. Packaged into "${\mu}$Bots," these magnetoelectric heterostructures bonded with silver nanoparticle inks maintain stable operation under biological loading. In vitro assays confirm the biocompatibility of AlN and the protective role of parylene encapsulation for FeGa. Ex vivo rat and human tissues reshape transmission spectra, identifying reproducible frequency windows near 3.3 and 3.9 GHz. ${\mu}$Bots enable real-time audiovisual telemetry using software-defined radios and exhibit compatibility with 7T MRI. By combining wideband response, robustness to misalignment, and biocompatible packaging, OUWB-ME ${\mu}$Bots provide a scalable platform for wireless bio-integrated communication and telemetry.