Bioelectromagnetics
Bioelectromagnetics
Developing wearables and implants that outperform the state-of-the-art in terms of seamlessness, capabilities and performance.
Electromagnetic energy is used extensively for many biomedical applications including:
- Sensing
- Imaging
- Stimulation
- Radiometry
- Hyperthermia
- Telemetry
- Powering
Research Highlights
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Flexible E-Textiles. We are working on a new class of e-textile antennas and sensors based on embroidered conductive threads. Our threads, referred to as e-threads, offer high surface conductivity (nearly equivalent to copper), are flexible and mechanically strong, and can be inconspicuously integrated into garments and other fabrics to realize several functionalities. As such, our technology offers very attractive RF and mechanical performance when compared to traditional rigid antennas and circuits. Example e-thread applications that we are working on include antennas for body-worn communications, reconfigurable Origami-based antennas and magneto-actuated reconfigurable antennas on hard-magnetic soft substrates.
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Into-Body Radiating Antennas. We are developing body-worn antennas that are composed of water-filled holes to mimic the frequency-dependent permittivity of the underlying tissue over their entire bandwidth. In doing so, unprecedented efficiencies are achieved for transmission towards the human body across ultra-wide bandwidths. We have recently verified our design framework through a novel BMA that operates from 1-12 GHz with 21.4 dB of transmission loss through 3 cm of tissue at 2.4 GHz. Compared to the most wideband and most efficient into-body radiator previously reported, this is 6.2 dB less transmission loss, with the new design also exhibiting nearly twice as much bandwidth.
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Garments for Motion Capture. We are developing a new class of wearable coils that seamlessly monitor joint kinematics (flexion and rotation) in the individual’s natural environment. Our approach is not restricted to lab environments, does not suffer from integration drift and line-of-sight, and does not impede natural movement. It relies on Faraday’s Law of Induction and employs wrap-around and/or longitudinal coils that get angularly misaligned as the joint moves.
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Learn more about the Wearables and Implantable Technologies Group