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4d ago

DGIST’s Dual-Layer Ultrasound Harvester Sets Record Efficiency, Targets Under-One-Hour Implant Charging

Researchers will integrate advanced semiconductors to slash pacemaker recharge times below one hour.

A person in a white lab coat holds a compact implantable medical device with a circular wire lead. The image highlights the scale and structure of the device, which represents the type of biomedical hardware that could benefit from advanced wireless ultrasound charging technologies.
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Overview

  • The sandwich-structured device stacks two piezoelectric layers to harvest both incoming and residual ultrasound, boosting energy conversion by over 20%.
  • In water tests at a 30 mm distance, it achieved 497.47 mW/cm² power density and 732.27 mW output, fully charging a 140 mAh battery in 1 h 40 min.
  • Under 30 mm-thick pig tissue, the harvester delivered enough power to recharge a 60 mAh battery in 1 h 20 min, simulating realistic implantation conditions.
  • Peer-reviewed in Biosensors and Bioelectronics, the findings outpace prior ultrasound charging systems by at least twofold in power output.
  • If commercialized, the technology could eliminate repeated implant battery-replacement surgeries by enabling noninvasive wireless recharging below 60 minutes.