Contactless Acoustic Power Transmission Through Air/Skin Interface : A Feasibility Study

The development of Implantable Medical Devices (IMDs) to monitor the function of certain organs in the human body and patient health have received great interest in recent years. However, these devices need a reliable supply of power for operation. As a solution to remote power transfer, ultrasound appear to be a promising and competing approach compared to classical RF-based technics. The main restriction is to place the ultrasonic source directly in contact with the skin. This study investigates the possibility of contactless ultrasonic power transmission to IMDs, by using airborne ultrasonic sources. Three different airborne ultrasound transducers (between 40 kHz and 200 kHz) were tested. After emission in air and transmission at an air/water interface, the transmitted pressure in water (simulating human tissue) is investigated.