An ultrasonic solution for wireless
powering of biomedical implants
Shima Shahab
Assistant
Professor
Research
Focus:
To design a
new genera-
tion of smart
autonomous
biomedical sys-
tems that lead
to new medical
diagnostics and
treatments.
Contactless ultrasonic power transfer (UPT) is
a new technology that eliminates impracticali-
ties associated with wired electrical connec-
tions. In biomedical implants (e.g. cardiac
pacemakers and wireless networks of sensors
such as artificial retina and cancer detectors),
the UPT concepts are the biocompatible
methods which are effective at larger distanc-
es and offer frequency-wise flexibility. This
technology, which is based on the reception
of acoustic waves at ultrasonic frequencies by
piezoelectric receivers, can be used to wire-
lessly charge low to high-power electronics.
MInDS Laboratory investigates the use of
acoustic holograms to create multifocal pres-
sure patterns and power an array of piezoelectric receivers. The technical approach based on the
combination of the nonlinear acoustic field with transmitter and receiver electroelastic nonlineari-
ties, verified with controlled experiments, are studied to explore and understand the effects of
various parameters on the coupled system for performance enhancement of UPT. We also per-
form a system-level investigation of through-wall high-power UPT dynamics to lay the founda-
tion for its implementation in next-generation acoustic-based wireless devices including enclosed
electronic devices operating in armor or other environments, such as autonomous unmanned
aerial and underwater vehicles. State-of-the-art experiments and mathematical models of UPT
focus on the transmitter, receiver, medium, geometric and material parameters.
This project was awarded by NSF.
Heat transfer: Metal foams as heat sinks
With the increasing demand
for higher performance and
progressive miniaturiza-
tion of electronic packages,
power densities and the
attendant thermal dissipation
requirements continue to
escalate. Innovative ther-
mal solutions are needed
to ensure reliable operation
at the device and die (chip)
level. To this end, Professor
Mahajan and his research
team in the Department of
Mechanical Engineering have
embarked upon a multi-
pronged, interdisciplinary
research that explores novel
thermal interface materi-
als and highly porous metal
foams as heat sinks. Accord-
ing to Professor Mahajan,
his team focuses not only
enhancing our understand-
ing of the underlying physics of the
transport phenomena in such devices,
but equally importantly on the end goal
of developing engineering solutions.
20 Revised and Corrected, Nov. 2019
Roop Mahajan
Lewis A. Hester
Chair Professor
Illustration of heat pathways of gra-
phene/silicone Thermal Interface Mate-
rial composites in between heat genera-
tor and heat spreader.
Research
Focus:
Advanced
electronic cool-
ing; Two-phase
flows; Porous
media synthesis
and application
of graphene,
derivatives and
composites;
Biomedical
devices;
Emerging and
Black Swan
technologies