Sensor Implants for Everywhere in the Body
From: IEEE The Institute - 11/11/2016
By: Kathy Pretz

IEEE Fellow works on electronics to monitor nerves, muscles, and organs

IEEE Fellow Jan M. Rabaey and researchers at the University of California,
Berkeley, made headlines recently by building the first wireless, dust
particle-size sensors that could eventually be implanted in the human body to
monitor nerves, muscles, and organs.

The sensors, known as neural dust motes, have so far been implanted in rats’
muscles and peripheral nerves. The motes rely on ultrasound projected into
the body for power and to read out measurements. Ultrasound, already widely
used in hospitals, can penetrate nearly anywhere in the body.

Once a mote is shrunk to 50 microns on a side—of a size that can be inserted
into the brain or central nervous system—the sensor could identify changes as
they occur in the human body or during a particular physical activity. Based
on that information, a physician or even the person himself could either
stimulate a certain body part - a peripheral nerve, say - or a part of the
brain. For example, the mote could be implanted in the brain of a paraplegic
to enable control of a computer or a robotic arm.

Read the entire article and view a video (1:50) at:
http://theinstitute.ieee.org/members/profiles/sensor-implants-for-everywhere-in-the-body

Links:
Special Report: IEEE Brain
http://theinstitute.ieee.org/static/special-report-ieee-brain

Jan M. Rabaey
https://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Faculty/Homepages/rabaey.html
http://bwrcs.eecs.berkeley.edu/faculty/jan/JansSite/Home.html