Implanted Devices Powered by Radio Waves

In medical treatments a number of devices have been implanted into the human body in order to help the optimal functioning of certain body parts. One of the major issues faced with these devices is being able to power them. Often batteries do not last as long as expected and the patient can have a major problem because of this.

Now researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with the concept of a new generation of implanted devices that will not need batteries to operate. They will instead be powered by an external gadget which shoots radio waves to activate the device. These implants will be able to do a number of tasks such as deliver drugs, monitor conditions inside the body, or treat disease by stimulating the brain with electricity or light.

The lack of a battery means that the device can be much smaller than the ones in operation currently. They can be implanted surgically or even ingested orally, depending on the task that they are being sent in to the body to complete. Since radio frequency waves do not harm the human tissue, they make an ideal tool to communicate with these implanted devices. This is one science project that will have far reaching consequences for future medical care.