A Wireless Implantable Sensor Design with Subcutaneous Energy Harvesting for Long-Term IoT Healthcare Applications

ABSTRACT

 In this paper, a wireless implantable sensor prototype with subcutaneous solar energy harvesting is proposed. To evaluate the performance of a flexible solar panel under skin, ex-vivo experiments are conducted under natural sunlight and artificial light sources. The results show that the solar panel covered by a 3 mm thick porcine flap can output tens of micro Watts to a few milli Watts depending on the light conditions. The subcutaneous solar energy harvester is tested on different body parts, which suggests the optimal position for the harvester to implant is between neck and shoulder. A wireless implantable system powered by the subcutaneous energy harvester is presented, which consists of a power management circuit, a temperature sensor and a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) module. An application is developed for data visualization on mobile devices, which can be a gateway for future IoT-based healthcare applications. The entire device is embedded in a transparent silicone housing (38 mm _ 32 mm _ 4 mm), including a 7 mAh rechargeable battery for energy storage. The average power consumption of the implants is about 30 _Win a 10 minutes operation cycle. With the subcutaneous solar energy harvester, the self-powered operation of the implantable sensor prototype is demonstrated by long-term experimental results. Two worst-case scenarios (no exposure to light and battery depletion) are considered with ex-vivo experiment simulations.

EXISTING SYSTEM :

The Existing work is CMOS BSI-PV chips were implemented using standard foundry bulk CMOS processes without the need for front-end process modification. This means they are easily integrated with biomedical electronic chips using mono lithic or hybrid packaging methods to produce self-powered implants with a small form factor. Finally, a CMOS BSI-PV module was used to power a CMOS temperature sensor for proof-of-concept.

PROPOSE SYSTEM :

In this paper, a wireless implantable sensor prototype with subcutaneous solar energy harvesting is proposed. To evaluate the performance of a flexible solar panel under skin, ex-vivo experiments are conducted under natural sunlight and artificial light sources. This paper proposes a subcutaneous solar energy harvester for implantable biomedical devices. The electrical properties of a flexible solar panel under a porcine flap are studied under sunlight and artificial light sources.

The work can be improved by dedicated solar panels that are more suitable for subcutaneous light conditions.The potential flexible super capacitor can be used to replace the battery, which can further reduce the volume of the implantable prototype.

 

CONCLUSION :

This paper proposes a subcutaneous solar energy harvester for implantable biomedical devices. The electrical properties of a flexible solar panel under a porcine flap are studied under sunlight and artificial light sources. The output power of the subcutaneous solar panel varies from tens of micro Watts to a few milli Watts depending on irradiance levels. An optimal position for the subcutaneous energy harvester is found to be between the neck and shoulder, which is demonstrated by ex-vivo experiments.

To evaluate the real-life application of the harvester, a wireless implantable sensor prototype is presented. The prototype incorporates a power management circuit, a temperature sensor, a BLE module and a 7 mAH rechargeable battery, which are all embedded in a transparent silicone housing. The sensor system is set to a 10 minutes operation cycle with power of 30 _W, which can be self powered by the subcutaneous solar energy harvester. The long-term operation, including two worst-case scenarios (no exposure to light and battery depletion), are demonstrated by ex-vivo experimental results.

In the future, the work can be improved by dedicated solar panels that are more suitable for subcutaneous light conditions. The potential flexible super capacitor can be used to replace the battery, which can further reduce the volume of the implantable prototype.