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.


