Journal
MEDICAL ENGINEERING & PHYSICS
Volume 35, Issue 9, Pages 1256-1265Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2013.01.001
Keywords
Energy harvesting; Medical implants; Arterial energy scavenging; Electromagnetic induction
Categories
Funding
- Bern University of Applied Sciences
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Most medical implants run on batteries, which require costly and tedious replacement or recharging. It is believed that micro-generators utilizing intracorporeal energy could solve these problems. However, such generators do not, at this time, meet the energy requirements of medical implants. This paper highlights some essential aspects of designing and implementing a power source that scavenges energy from arterial expansion and contraction to operate an implanted medical device. After evaluating various potentially viable transduction mechanisms, the fabricated prototype employs an electromagnetic transduction mechanism. The artery is inserted into a laboratory-fabricated flexible coil which is permitted to freely deform in a magnetic field. This work also investigates the effects of the arterial wall's material properties on energy harvesting potential. For that purpose, two types of arteries (Penrose X-ray tube, which behave elastically, and an artery of a Gottinger minipig, which behaves viscoelastically) were tested. No noticeable difference could be observed between these two cases. For the pig artery, average harvestable power was 42 nW. Moreover, peak power was 2.38 mu W. Both values are higher than those of the current state of the art (6 nW/16 nW). A theoretical modelling of the prototype was developed and compared to the experimental results. (C) 2013 IPEM. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available