Secure Method for Software Upgrades for Implantable Medical Devices

A non-invasive software upgrade method for permanent implantable medical devices was developed to alleviate patients＇ suffering due to malfunctions because of software faults,which may cause serious adverse health consequences or require enhancements with new software.The programs distributed to the internal implantable pulse generator（IPG） from the external programmer have been developed so that the upgrade service program in the IPG is simplified with most complex functions executed by the external programmer.A bidirectional protocol including frame definition and transmission mode was designed to insure secure upgrades.A neuro-stimulator was used to verify the upgrade solution with no additional elements,to maintain the hardware reliability.This study emphasizes how to insure a secure and stable upgrade process and reduce power consumption for special wireless and life safety-critical applications.Tests on rhesus monkeys to evaluate the feasibility of the approach for an IPG used for brain stimulation evaluation show that the software upgrade can be implemented stably with good tolerance to the wireless data transmissions.

A high-efficiency charge pump in BCD process for implantable medical devices

This paper presents a high-efficiency charge pump circuit composed of cascaded cross-coupled voltage doublers implemented in an isolated bipolar-CMOS-DMOS（BCD） technology for implantable medical devices.Taking advantage of the transistor structures in the isolated BCD process, the leakage currents caused by the parasitic PNP transistors in the cross-coupled PMOS serial switches are eliminated by simply connecting the inside substrate terminal to the isolation terminal of each PMOS transistor. The simple circuit structure leads to small parasitic capacitance in the voltage doubler, which in turn ensures high efficiency of the overall charge pump. The proposed charge pump with 5 cascaded voltage doublers is fabricated in a 0.35-μm isolated BCD process. Measurement results with 2-V power supply, 1-MHz driving clock frequency and 40-μA current load show that an efficiency of 72.6% is achieved, and the output voltage can be pumped to about 11.5 V at zero load current. The chip area of the charge pump is 1.6 × 0.35 mm^2.

Analysis of intellectual properties on animalderived regenerative, implantable medical devices

This article analyses and summarizes issues of intellectual property involved in animal-derived regenerative,implantable medical devices(ADRIMD)in order to better understand global trends in patent applications and disclosures,the legal status of patent families(i.e.sets of patents filed in various countries to protect a single invention),and International Patent Classification topics such as main assignee and core expertise.Analysis of research trends will enhance and inform the decision-making capacity of researchers,investors,government regulators and other stake-holders as they undertake to develop,deploy,invest in or regulate ADRIMD.

Recent Techniques for Harvesting Energy from the Human Body

The human body contains a near-infinite supply of energy in chemical,thermal,and mechanical forms.However,the majority of implantable and wear-able devices are still operated by batteries,whose insufficient capacity and large size limit their lifespan and increase the risk of hazardous material leakage.Such energy can be used to exceed the battery power limits of implantable and wear-able devices.Moreover,novel materials and fabrication methods can be used to create various medical therapies and life-enhancing technologies.This review paper focuses on energy-harvesting technologies used in medical and health applications,primarily power collectors from the human body.Current approaches to energy harvesting from the bodies of living subjects for self-powered electronics are summarized.Using the human body as an energy source encompasses numer-ous topics:thermoelectric generators,power harvesting by kinetic energy,cardi-ovascular energy harvesting,and blood pressure.The review considers various perspectives on future research,which can provide a new forum for advancing new technologies for the diagnosis,treatment,and prevention of diseases by integrating different energy harvesters with advanced electronics.

Triboelectric nanogenerators for clinical diagnosis and therapy:A report of recent progress

Triboelectric nanogenerators(TENGs)are considered as an ideal platform for power harvesting for living organisms,thanks to their unique characteristics like flexibility,conversion efficient,and manufacturing cost.Recent advances in TENGs have brought innovative solutions for clinical healthcare.Particularly,TENGs offer novel solutions of continues power supply for wearable and implantable medical devices with lightweight,thinness,good biocompatibility,and excellent soft tissue conformability.In this review,we discuss(1)The working principle and representative structure of TENGs,(2)the material selection of TENGs,(3)the recent progression of application of TENG in the medical field of cardiovascular system,nervous system,respiratory system,microbial inactivation,antibiofouling,disinfection,and tissue repair,(4)challenges and future perspectives of TENG-based medical devices.The emerging TENGs and their applications in medicine cannot simply be seen as an alternative to conventional power supplies,it provides a revolutionary solution for wearable and implantable medical devices,and they will surely change the paradigm of disease diagnosis and treatment in the future.