Bio-RV: Low-Power Resource-Efficient RISC-V Processor for Biomedical Applications

TL;DR

Bio-RV is a compact, energy-efficient RISC-V processor designed specifically for biomedical applications, emphasizing deterministic execution and minimal hardware complexity for safety-critical systems.

Contribution

The paper introduces Bio-RV, a low-power, resource-efficient RISC-V core tailored for biomedical devices, with a focus on deterministic execution and flexible integration.

Findings

Operates at 50 MHz with 708 LUTs on FPGA

Achieves minimal energy use with architectural optimizations

Supports controlled firmware deployment and external instruction loading

Abstract

This work presents Bio-RV, a compact and resource-efficient RISC-V processor intended for biomedical control applications, such as accelerator-based biomedical SoCs and implantable pacemaker systems. The proposed Bio-RV is a multi-cycle RV32I core that provides explicit execution control and external instruction loading with capabilities that enable controlled firmware deployment, ASIC bring-up, and post-silicon testing. In addition to coordinating accelerator configuration and data transmission in heterogeneous systems, Bio-RV is designed to function as a lightweight host controller, handling interfaces with pacing, sensing, electrogram (EGM), telemetry, and battery management modules. With 708 LUTs and 235 flip-flops on FPGA prototypes, Bio-RV, implemented in a 180 nm CMOS technology, operate at 50 MHz and feature a compact hardware footprint. According to post-layout results, the proposed architectural decisions align with minimal energy use. Ultimately, Bio-RV prioritises deterministic execution, minimal hardware complexity, and integration flexibility over peak computing speed to meet the demands of ultra-low-power, safety-critical biomedical systems.