CAREER: Towards Ultrasonic Networking for Implantable Biomedical Devices

体内传感器和致动器的无线联网系统可以实现革命性的应用，具有强大的潜力来推进我们时代重大疾病的医疗。然而，迄今为止，大多数研究都集中在通过传统的电磁射频（RF）波互连的设备之间的身体表面的通信沿着;而使联网的体内微型传感器和致动器，通过身体组织进行通信的关键挑战是基本上没有解决。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，而水是RF电磁波不易传播的介质。 该项目采用不同的视角，首次通过数学建模、仿真和实验评估的闭环组合，研究了人体组织中超声网络的基本原理。该项目将研究四个相互交织的研究任务，即：（i）超声波信道建模和容量分析;（ii）超声波通信的物理/介质访问控制层解决方案;（iii）基于超声波干扰随机建模的分布式异步跨层控制和资源分配算法;（iv）基于超声波干扰随机建模的分布式异步跨层控制和资源分配算法。（iv）透过多尺度模拟器和软件界定测试平台进行性能评估。该项目将把研究和教育结合起来，并作出以下核心贡献：㈠设立一个访问学者方案，重点是超声波联网及其应用; ㈡设立关于声学/超声波联网的新的研究生/本科生课程，并编写关于这一专题的新教科书; ㈢开展一系列广泛的活动，向代表性不足的学生进行宣传;开展这一领域的技术转让活动。该项目可以为植入式医疗设备与外界之间的通信带来新颖、安全和节能的方法。

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.