Modeling and design of antennas for implantable telemetry applications

This paper examines some of the challenges in antenna design and characterization for a device implanted inside the human body. Implantable devices found in Wireless Body Area Networks (WBAN) for healthcare applications such as disease prevention, diagnosis and therapy rely on RF and microwave antennas to transmit reliable information from inside the human body to an external base station. Due to the EM interaction between the implanted antenna and human tissue, these devices experience high energy consumption during transmission with as much as 99% of the radiated energy being lost inside the body leading to higher power consumption by the wireless device, irregularly distributed signals and possible failure to meet minimum range requirements. Modeling of the human body and its impact on antenna design with a concern for occupying minimal volume while providing reliable and efficient energy transfer within a complex and dynamic medium (human body) to ensure a reliable communication link and prolonged battery life will be presented.