What if life-saving medical devices could power up without surgery or even wires? A research innovation is changing how implants are charged, promising speed, safety, and seamless patient care.
A team of researchers at South Korea’s Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), led by Professor Jinho Chang, has developed a cutting-edge ultrasound-based wireless charging technology that enables rapid, optimised, and safe charging of implantable medical devices, that too completely within the human body.
The technology can leverage the charging game of batteries of implantable medical devices efficiently. In fact, in a practical experiment, the technology has charged a fully commercial battery within 2 hours inside the human body.
Why It Matters
As the global population is aging fast, chronic illnesses are increasing, and accidents have become more common. The demand for implantable medical devices like pacemakers and neural stimulators is surging too.
However, the batteries of implanted devices need periodic replacement and charging, often requiring risky and multiple surgeries. The new technological intervention could eliminate the need for such hefty surgeries.
This breakthrough is achieved by using a dual-layer piezoelectric harvester that captures both direct and residual ultrasound energy. This “sandwich-structured” design boosts energy conversion efficiency by over 20% compared to conventional models making it crucial for maximizing power within the body’s safety limits.
The experiment tests confirm the performance ability and the power output results are more realistic and fast as compared to prior systems.
“This research presents an innovative technology that effectively harvests ultrasound energy for wireless charging,” said Prof. Chang. “Our goal is a fully chargeable system in under one hour using high-efficiency semiconductor integration”.
This technology paves the way for next-gen implantable devices, offering medical manufacturers a game-changing tool to enhance patient’s safety, reduce healthcare costs, and improve device longevity.