Implantable Telemetry Systems

1)拟议研究计划的主要短期和长期目标：通过建立我们现有的成就和正在进行的工作的现状，我的第一个实际目标是开发立方毫米尺度的微型可植入无线遥测系统，例如，足够小到可以放入老鼠体内。我实现这一特定目标的动机有三个。首先，拟议的目标本身是极其困难的，但并非不可能实现，这挑战了我对工程和学术的好奇心。其次，转基因小鼠是生物医学研究人员最重要和最常用的模型之一，因此对这种系统有实际和迫切的需求。第三，这种遥测系统的设计是一项特别具有挑战性的工程任务，然而，一旦我们掌握了立方毫米尺度的遥测系统的设计，同样的系统就相对容易地与其他类型和组合的传感器接口。 2)科学方法：我的研究计划主要是由实际的工程问题驱动的，也就是说，它在真实的背景下解决复杂的问题。在这个项目中，我的目标是整合已知的和假设的设计原则，为这些复杂的问题提供可行的解决方案。这种开发和研究通过设计、验证、分析和重新设计阶段的连续循环进行。也就是说，在我的项目中，我采用了基于设计的研究方法。 与基于设计的研究方法中传统的预测性研究方法(即假设、实验、理论周期)相反，我的出发点是分析和定义实际问题。事实上，我目前的研究是受到以下问题的启发：有可能吗？如果可能，我们如何设计一种短距离无线植入式遥测系统，它足够小，可以放入几立方毫米的体积中，例如进入小动物的腹部，比如实验室小鼠？ 问题是设计一种能够同时支持多个传感器的超小型无线遥测系统。目前可用的数据表明，目前可用的遥测系统的三个主要限制是：a)由于它们的物理尺寸，它们仅限于具有较大身体的对象(例如人类)，以及其他不受空间限制的遥测应用；b)它们依赖于植入的能源，例如电池；以及c)它们只提供一种传感器(例如，压力或温度传感器)。 该计划非常重要的组成部分将是对各级HQP的培训，他们将有机会学习和练习新的相关技能，例如物理现象的理论分析(例如电磁波与活组织之间的相互作用)、微电子电路设计(例如射频收发机和信号处理)以及实际实施的系统级分析。 3)这项工作对自然科学和工程领域的新颖性和预期意义：该研究计划将以超小型集成射频植入式遥测系统和相关理论工作的形式提供独特的贡献。首先，它将用于心脏监测遥测，最终，当它与各种传感器接口时，它可能成为无线传感器网络的一部分，例如，可以嵌入到农作物田地、各种建筑和人体中。因此，例如，微型无线网络可以实现对作物生长、桥梁完整性或人类健康的实时监测。与其他已发表的工作相比，该遥测系统在体积、复杂性和功耗方面都是独一无二的。

1) MAIN SHORT AND LONG TERM OBJECTIVES OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH PROGRAM: by building upon our existing achievements and current state of the work in progress, my first practical objective is to develop micro-sized implantable wireless telemetry systems at cubic millimetre scale, for example, small enough to fit inside a mouse body. My motivation to achieve this particular objective is threefold. First, by itself the proposed objective is extremely difficult but not impossible to reach, which challenges my engineering and academic curiosity. Second, a genetically modified mouse is one of the most important and often used models by biomedical researchers, thus there is practical and immediate need for such systems. Third, design of such telemetry systems is exceptionally challenging engineering task, however once we master the design of telemetry systems at a cubic millimetre scale, the same system is then relatively easily adapted to interface with other types and combinations of sensors. 2) THE SCIENTIFIC APPROACH: my research program is primarily driven by practical engineering problems, which is to say that it addresses complex problems in real contexts. In this program I aim to integrate known and hypothetical design principles to provide feasible solutions to these complex problems. This kind of development and research takes place through continuous cycles of design, verification, analysis, and redesign phases. That is, in my program I have adopted the design-based research approach. As oppose to the traditional predictive research approach (i.e. the hypothesis, experiment, theory cycles) in the design--based research approach my starting point is analysis and definition of a practical problem. Indeed, my current research is inspired by the following question: is it possible, and if yes how can we design a short-distance wireless implantable telemetry system that is small enough to fit into a few cubic millimetres volume, for example into belly of a small animal subject such as a laboratory mouse? The problem is to design an ultra-small wireless telemetry system capable of simultaneously supporting multiple sensors. Currently available data indicate that three main limitations of the currently available telemetry systems are: a) due to their physical size they are limited to subjects with large bodies (e.g. humans), and other telemetry applications that are not space limited; b) they rely on the implanted energy source such as a battery, and c) they serve only one kind of sensor (e.g. either pressure or temperature sensor). Very important component of this program will be in the training of HQP at all levels who will have an opportunity to learn and exercise new and relevant skills, such as theoretical analysis of physical phenomena (e.g. interaction between EM waves and living tissue), microelectronic circuit design (e.g. RF transceiver and signal processing), and the system level analysis with practical implementation.. 3) THE NOVELTY AND EXPECTED SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WORK TO FIELDS IN THE NATURAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING: this research program will provide unique contributions in the form of ultra-small integrated RF implantable telemetry system and relevant theoretical work. At first, it will be used for cardiac monitoring telemetry and, eventually, when it is interfaced with various sensors it may become part of a wireless sensor network that could be embedded, for instance, into crop fields, various constructions, and into a human body. Thus, the micro wireless network could enable, for example, real-time monitoring of growing crops, bridge integrity, or the human health. Relative to the other published works, the proposed telemetry system is unique with respect to its size, complexity and the power consumption.