Author(s)

Haoyuan Xiong

Corresponding Author

Haoyuan Xiong

ABSTRACT

Wireless power transfer technologies have proven to be a necessary feature for biomedical implants because they reduce medical complications and encourage miniaturization of the implant device. This paper examines the mechanisms behind one of these technologies, ultrasonic power delivery, and discusses its merits and drawbacks. It is found that ultrasonic power delivery has superior power transfer efficiency for scenarios where long transfer distances (decimeter level) and miniaturized receivers (mm-sized) are desired. On the downside, an ultrasonic sound wave is terrible at penetrating stiff materials like bones, which limits its application to soft tissues. The power transfer efficiency is also susceptible to complex factors like acoustic mechanical mismatch. Finally, extended exposure to ultrasonic power delivery may cause health issues like tissue heating and cavitation. Although there are currently insufficient research efforts for the health concerns of ultrasonic power delivery, there have been steady improvements to the power transfer efficiency. As a conclusion to the discussion, this paper points out a future research direction by proposing that an inductive-ultrasonic hybrid link can overcome the challenges faced by ultrasonic power delivery and bring massive improvements to overall power transfer efficiency.

KEYWORDS

Component, ultrasonic power delivery, biomedical implants, long-range wireless power transfer, transfer efficiency