STTR Phase I: Improving the Communications Performance and Reliability of In Vivo Wireless Medical Devices

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Improving the Communications Performance and Reliability of In Vivo WirelessMedical DevicesThis Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project has the goal of advancing novel wireless communications technologies that enable high performance, reliable communications, and the ability to overcome link and/or power failures among networked in vivo medical devices. Achieving this goal over the in vivo wireless channel is a considerable challenge in a nascent, high-risk, field with enormous potential for radically transforming healthcare. For example, achieving this goal enables a new paradigm for Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) by exploiting the possibilities offered by distributed wireless networking of in vivo medical devices. Novel enabling technologies investigated in this research will include packet-level coding across OFDM subchannels and cooperative network coding using spatially distinct multihop links. Such technologies will have application in many wireless systems. An initial benchmark application is the design and exploratory development of a high-definition video imaging system that includes a Camera Module that is both wirelessly controlled and wirelessly communicates the video signals to an external receiver. In this research, the Camera Module design will be extended to be capable of distributed networking with other such Camera Modules to demonstrate the benefits of the above novel technologies. The broader impact/commercial potential of realizing technologies that achieve high performance and reliability for in vivo wireless networked communications among medical devices will be an important component in radically transforming many biomedical applications, and in the creation of vast commercial, career, and educational opportunities The prototype Camera Modules designed in this project will facilitate a fundamentally new distributed-networking approach to Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) and can replace cabled endoscopes with an order-of-magnitude lower cost that has been validated by component and manufacturing partners. Enabling Wireless Body Area Network (WBAN) devices such as embedded sensors and actuators to provide reliable continuous monitoring or/and actuation will stimulate many additional paradigm shifts in healthcare. The expected wireless innovations that will realize high performance and reliability, with near zero latency, and mitigation of interference over the in vivo wireless channel will also have a broad impact on enabling solutions for other special purpose wireless systems, such as sensor systems and emergency communications systems. Beyond improving the capabilities of these special-purpose wireless devices, these innovations provide foundation technologies that will significantly advance wireless access and spectral utilization for a plurality of wireless systems, including next-generation cellular and WLAN systems.