CAREER: Towards Ultrasonic Networking for Implantable Biomedical Devices

体内传感器和执行器的无线联网系统可以实现革命性的应用，具有推动我们这个时代主要疾病的医疗治疗的强大潜力。然而，到目前为止，大多数研究都集中在通过传统的电磁射频(RF)波相互连接的设备之间沿着体表进行通信；而实现通过身体组织通信的网络化体内微型传感器和执行器的关键挑战基本上没有得到解决。实现这一愿景的主要障碍是人体内传播的物理性质，人体主要由水组成，射频电磁波不容易通过水传播。该项目以不同的视角，通过数学建模、模拟和实验评估的闭环组合，首次研究了人体组织中超声波联网的基本原理。该项目正在研究四个相互交织的研究任务，即(I)超声信道建模和容量分析；(Ii)超声通信的物理/介质访问控制层解决方案；(Iii)基于超声干扰随机建模的分布式和异步跨层控制和资源分配算法；(Iv)通过多尺度模拟器和软件定义的测试进行性能评估。该项目将结合研究和教育，作出以下核心贡献：(I)建立一个以超声联网及其应用为重点的访问学者计划；(Ii)设立一个关于声学/超声联网的新的研究生/本科课程，并编写关于这一主题的新教科书；(Iii)开展一系列广泛的活动，接触人数不足的学生；(Iv)在这一领域开展技术转让活动。该项目可以带来植入式医疗设备与外部世界之间新颖、安全和节能的通信方法。

Wirelessly networked systems of intra-body sensors and actuators could enable revolutionary applications with a strong potential to advance medical treatment of major diseases of our times. Yet, most research to date has focused on communications along the body surface among devices interconnected through traditional electromagnetic radio-frequency (RF) waves; while the key challenge of enabling networked intra-body miniaturized sensors and actuators that communicate through body tissues is substantially unaddressed. The main obstacle to enabling this vision is posed by the physical nature of propagation in the human body, which is composed primarily of water, a medium through which RF electromagnetic waves do not easily propagate. This project takes a different perspective and investigates for the first time the fundamentals of ultrasonic networking in human tissues through a closed-loop combination of mathematical modeling, simulation, and experimental evaluation. The project is investigating four intertwined research tasks, i.e, (i) ultrasonic channel modeling and capacity analysis; (ii) physical/medium access control layer solutions for ultrasonic communications; (iii) distributed and asynchronous cross-layer control and resource allocation algorithms based on stochastic modeling of ultrasonic interference; (iv) performance evaluation through a multi-scale simulator and a software-defined testbed.The project will integrate research and education with the following core contributions: (i) establishment of a visiting scholar program with a focus on ultrasonic networking and its applications; (ii) establishment of a new graduate/undergraduate course on acoustic/ultrasonic networking, and development of a new textbook on this topic; (iii) a broad set of activities to reach out to underrepresented students; (iv) pursuit of technology transfer activities in this field. The project can lead to novel, safe and energy-efficient methods of communication between implanted medical devices and the outside world.