Wirelessly powered implants are increasingly being developed to interface with neurons in the brain. They often rely on microelectrode arrays which are limited by their scalability and long-term stability because of their physical size and rigid configuration. Yet some clinical and research applications prioritize a distributed neural interface over one that offers high resolution. One solution to make large scale, fully specifiable, electrical stimulation/recording possible, is to disconnect the electrodes from the base, so that they can be arbitrarily placed, using a syringe, freely in the nervous system. In this work, a wirelessly powered stimulating implant is miniaturized using a novel electrode integration technique, and its implanted depth maximized using innovative optimization design methods for the transmitter and receiver coils. The stimulating device is implemented in a 130nm CMOS technology with the following characteristics: 300 μm × 300 μm × 80 μm size; optimized wireless powering; and integrated circuit, electrodes and coil. The wireless and stimulation capability of the implant is validated in a conductive medium and in-vivo. To the best of our knowledge, the fabricated free-floating miniaturized implant has the best depth-to-volume ratio making it an excellent tool for minimally-invasive scalable neural interface, and thus could eventually replace the rigid arrays that are currently the state-of-the-art in brain set-ups.

In the past three decades, we have witnessed unprecedented progress in wireless implantable medical devices that can monitor physiological parameters and interface with the nervous system. These devices are beginning to transform healthcare. To provide an even more stable, safe, effective, and distributed interface, a new class of implantable devices is being developed; injectable wireless microdevices. Thanks to recent advances in micro/nanofabrication techniques and powering/communication methodologies, some wireless implantable devices are now on the scale of dust (< 0.5 mm), enabling their full injection with minimal insertion damage. Here we review state-of-the-art fully injectable microdevices, discuss their injection techniques, and address the current challenges and opportunities for future developments.

Wireless power transfer (WPT) within the human body can enable long-lasting medical devices but poses notable challenges, including absorption by biological tissues and weak coupling between the transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx). In pursuit of more robust and efficient wireless power, various innovative strategies have emerged to optimize power transfer efficiency (PTE). One such groundbreaking approach stems from the incorporation of metamaterials, which have shown the potential to enhance the capabilities of conventional WPT systems. In this review, we delve into recent studies focusing on WPT systems that leverage metamaterials to achieve increased efficiency for implantable medical devices (IMDs) in the electromagnetic paradigm. Alongside a comparative analysis, we also outline current challenges and envision potential avenues for future advancements.

Objective. Noninvasive focal stimulation of deep brain regions has been a major goal for neuroscience and neuromodulation in the past three decades. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), for instance, cannot target deep regions in the brain without activating the overlying tissues and has poor spatial resolution. In this manuscript, we propose a new concept that relies on the temporal interference (TI) of two high-frequency magnetic fields generated by two electromagnetic solenoids. Approach. To illustrate the concept, custom solenoids were fabricated and optimized to generate temporal interfering electric fields for rodent brain stimulation. C-Fos expression was used to track neuronal activation. Main result. C-Fos expression was not present in regions impacted by only one high-frequency magnetic field indicating ineffective recruitment of neural activity in non-target regions. In contrast, regions impacted by two fields that interfere to create a low-frequency envelope display a strong increase in c-Fos expression. Significance. Therefore, this magnetic temporal interference solenoid-based system provides a framework to perform further stimulation studies that would investigate the advantages it could bring over conventional TMS systems.

Electrical stimulation via invasive microelectrodes is commonly used to treat a wide range of neurological and psychiatric conditions. Despite its remarkable success, the stimulation performance is not sustainable since the electrodes become encapsulated by gliosis due to foreign body reactions. Magnetic stimulation overcomes these limitations by eliminating the need for a metal-electrode contact. Here, we demonstrate a novel microfabricated solenoid inductor (80 µm × 40 µm) with a magnetic core that can activate neuronal tissue. The characterization and proof-of-concept of the device raise the possibility that micromagnetic stimulation solenoids that are small enough to be implanted within the brain may prove to be an effective alternative to existing electrode-based stimulation devices for chronic neural interfacing applications.

This article describes the development of a radio frequency (RF) platform for electromagnetically modulated signals that makes use of a software-defined radio (SDR) to receive information from a novel magnetoelectric (ME) antenna capable of sensing low-frequency magnetic fields with ultra-low magnitudes. The platform is employed as part of research and development to utilize miniaturized ME antennas and integrated circuits for neural recording with wireless implantable devices. To prototype the reception of electromagnetically modulated signals from a sensor, a versatile Universal Software Radio Peripheral (USRP) and the GNU Radio toolkit are utilized to enable real-time signal processing under varying operating conditions. Furthermore, it is demonstrated how a radio frequency signal transmitted from the SDR can be captured by the ME antenna for wireless energy harvesting.