Servo-controlled remote powering and low-power data communication of implantable bio-systems for freely moving animals

This paper presents the servo-controlled remote powering and low-power data communication of batteryless implantable bio-systems for freely moving animals. The required 2 mW power of the implantable system is continuously transferred by a remote powering link over 30 mm distance. The animal is tracked inside its living space and the servo-controlled rails move the external coil to follow the position of the animal. A low power OOK transmitter and a custom designed receiver are implemented for short-range data communication. The data rate can be increased up to 1.5 Mbps while the implantable transmitter consumes only 320 μW. The implanted electronics are implemented in 0.18 μm CMOS technology. The integration of the entire system is presented. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the servo-controlled remote powering and data communication system.