In-body Communication

We are investigating ultrasound as a communications channel for interacting with in-body devices. We have developed protocols involving ultrasound as the communication channel and have demonstrated the ability to produce high data rates through tissues, i.e., > 15 Mbps, and have successfully streamed 4k video through 6 cm pork bellies (see Figures 1 and 2). Our goal is to replace electromagnetic communications for in-body devices with ultrasound because ultrasound is safe, attenuation is low, data rates can be orders of magnitude larger, is a secure communications channel, and the small wavelengths allow for millimeter localization. One application we are planning is the development of a wireless capsule endoscopy that uses ultrasound to stream high-definition images and can localize image findings to unprecedented accuracy. We call this technology SoniCam. Figures 3 and 4 shows concept images of our SoniCam device.

Figure 1. Experimental setup using a ultrasonic microcrystal to transmit 4k video through water and a 6 cm thick pork belly and received by an array transducer.
Figure 2. The actual 4k video that was streamed via ultrasound through the pork belly. This is a world record!
Figure 3. Diagram of our proposed SoniCam capsule endoscopy device that uses ultrasound to stream high-definition images of the small bowel using two cameras.
Figure 4. Illustration of the software displaying imaging results and the registered locations of the images in the small bowel.
Ultrasound Research Laboratory
Email: oelze@illinois.edu