Implanted Devices, Contact Lenses Communicate with Smartphones
From: Medical Design Technology - 08/17/2016

Engineers at the University of Washington have created a way of communicating
that lets devices like brain implants and contact lenses talk to everyday
items like smartphones and watches.

They are calling this method "interscatter communication," based on a
technique called backscatter that allows devices to exchange information
simply by reflecting existing signals. The term "interscatter" comes from the
fact this technique allows inter-technology communication by using Bluetooth
signals to transmit Wi-Fi.

Using these reflections, an interscatter device, like a smart contact lens,
converts Bluetooth signals from a device like a smartwatch into Wi-Fi
transmissions that can be picked up by a smartphone.

"Wireless connectivity for implanted devices can transform how we manage
chronic diseases," said Vikram Iyer, a UW electrical engineering doctoral
student. "For example, a contact lens could monitor a diabetics blood sugar
level in tears and send notifications to the phone when the blood sugar level
goes down."

Read the entire article and view a video (1:44) at:
https://www.mdtmag.com/news/2016/08/implanted-devices-contact-lenses-communicate-smartphones

Links:
Interscatter
http://interscatter.cs.washington.edu

Vikram Iyer
http://staff.washington.edu/vsiyer