IEEE S.F. Bay Area Council e-GRID's
BayAreaTech

WEDNESDAY October 19, 2011
SCV Engineering in Medicine and Biology Chapter
Speaker: Daniel Pivonka, Center for Circuit and System Solutions, Stanford University
Time: Optional dinner at 6:15 PM; Presentation at 7:30 PM
Cost: none
Place: Optional dinner at Stanford Hospital Cafeteria (no host, no reservations); Meeting at Room M-114, Stanford University Medical School
RSVP: not required
Info: www.ewh.ieee.org/r6/scv/embs

Fully autonomous implantable systems with locomotion can revolutionize medical technology, and include applications ranging from diagnostics to minimally invasive surgery.? However, the extreme power requirements of fluid locomotion impose significant design challenges.? For mm-sized antennas in tissue, the optimal frequency for power transfer efficiency is in the low-GHz range.? Combining this power transfer method with a highly efficient electromagnetic fluid micro-propulsion system, remotely controlled sub-mm implants become possible.? This work focuses on the development of this propulsion system and its implementation on a real device.? There are two proposed propulsion methods: the first is based on magneto hydrodynamic (MHD) propulsion, and the second relies on asymmetrical fluid drag forces on an oscillating structure.? Analysis and simulation predict that speeds ~cm/s can be achieved with around 100µW, suggesting that this propulsion method is about 10 times more efficient than existing mechanical techniques.