IronIC Patch: A Wearable Device for the Remote Powering and Connectivity of Implantable Systems

A wearable device to power implanted sensors by means of an inductive link is presented. The system, having size 69 × 40 mm2, is designed to be embedded into a skin patch and located over the implantation area. The system can transfer up to 15 mW within 6 mm in air. Tested with a 17 mm thick beef sirloin placed between the inductors, the device is able to deliver up to 1.17 mW. Downlink communication with the implanted sensors is performed at 100 kbps by using amplitude modulation. Uplink communication is performed at 66.6 kbps by using load modulation. Long range communication between the system and remote devices is enabled by a bluetooth module. The system is powered by two rechargeable lithium-ion polymer batteries and has an autonomy of 10 h in stand-by mode and about 1.5 h in transmitting mode.