CAREER: Wirelesss Sensing for In Vivo Medical Devices

本项目为深层组织微型植入物开发无线网络系统。这种微型植入物可以被吞咽或注射到人体中，并用于输送药物或监测人体内部生命体征等应用。建造这些系统的挑战来自于微型植入物的功率、尺寸和寿命限制，以及人体解剖的复杂性及其与无线信号的相互作用。通过克服这些挑战，这项研究将使新一代联网微型植入物能够积极促进人类健康和福祉。该项目的目标是设计和构建实用的无线系统，能够在接近零功率的情况下与微型植入物进行通信和定位。为此，研究人员计划用后向散射传感器增强微型植入物，并为这些传感器开发算法、协议和系统架构。提出的研究贡献包括开发(i)可靠和自适应深层组织通信的算法，（ii）准确的跨介质反向散射定位技术，以及（iii）在无电池微型植入物上结合通信，定位和传感的集成传感平台。拟议的研究将超越算法和系统的概念，扩展到现实世界原型的实现和评估。这些设计将集成在具有传感和驱动能力的微型植入物上，并将在许多应用中进行评估，例如用于靶向药物输送的无线智能药丸和用于连续体内监测的内部生命体征传感器。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project develops wireless networking systems for deep-tissue micro-implants. The micro-implants may be swallowed or injected into the human body and used for applications such as delivering drugs or monitoring internal human vitals. The challenge in building these systems arises from the power, size, and longevity constraints of micro-implants as well as the anatomical complexity of the human body and its interaction with wireless signals. By overcoming these challenges, this research will enable a new generation of networked micro-implants that can actively contribute to human health and well-being. The goal of this project is to design and build practical wireless systems that are capable of communicating with and localizing micro-implants at near-zero power. To this end, the researchers plan to augment micro-implants with backscatter sensors and develop algorithms, protocols, and system architectures for these sensors. The proposed research contributions encompass developing (i) algorithms for reliable and adaptive deep-tissue communication, (ii) techniques for accurate cross-medium backscatter localization, and (iii) integrated sensing platforms that combine communication, localization, and sensing on battery-free micro-implants. The proposed research will extend beyond the conception of algorithms and systems to the implementation and evaluation of real-world prototypes. The designs will be integrated on micro-implants with sensing and actuation capabilities, and will be evaluated in a number of applications such as wireless smart pills for targeted drug delivery and internal vital sign sensors for continuous in-vivo monitoring.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.