Prof. Leena Ukkonen

In this presentation, we will focus on different aspects of backscattering-based wireless communication and power transfer to small biomedical implants. We will present different antenna topologies for data and power transfer through tissue, in vitro and in vivo studies on implantable intracranial pressure (ICP) sensors and give insight and analysis on wireless link reliability in tissue environment. We will also present radio frequency identification (RFID) -based implant platform and communication method. Moreover, we will focus on the differences and challenges of in vivo environments compared to laboratory phantoms and tissue models. In our studies, different types of implantable antennas have been tested to investigate the reliability, accuracy, and sensitivity of the brain implants: a hybrid near field-far field system with a piezoresistive sensor for ICP monitoring, a UHF band spilled-ring resonator system, and LC tank based miniature implantable antenna. This presentation will explain these implant antennas and wireless power transfer in the tissue environment present in the human head. 

Biography:

Prof. Leena Ukkonen and her Wireless Identification and Sensing Systems Research Lab at Tampere University, Finland, concentrate on implantable and wearable biomedical sensors and wireless health technologies. Prof. Ukkonen has a strong, over 15 years of research background in wireless brain-machine interfaces, implantable sensors, and methods for wearable antennas and sensors.