Piezo Energy Technologies

Category: Medical Devices & Equipment

Do you use batteries in remote locations that can’t be accessed for replacement? Consider active wireless recharging or passive recharging in situ through energy harvesting using our two patented and patent-pending technologies.

The first application of our technologies has been to power medical devices implanted in the human body. Ultrasound Electrical Recharging (USER) uses ultrasound waves to transfer energy through an intervening medium to a receiver and then to a rechargeable battery or capacitor. Energy harvesting takes advantages of the natural forces within the human body such as joint and muscle movement or heartbeat.

With USER we have transmitted power wirelessly by transfering energy through an intervening medium to a receiver and then to a rechargeable battery or capacitor. We have transmitted power wirelessly through water, tissue, a tissue mimicking liquid, metals and plastic, in the thickness range of 0.1 to 20 cm. Wireless power transmission of over a watt through 1 cm of a tissue mimicking liquid has been demonstrated. The method can be applied to implanted medical devices such as drug pumps, sensors, and neurostimulators.

In piezoelectric energy harvesting, the element subject to forces in the body creates an electric current and charge that can be transferred to a capacitor or rechargeable battery. Capacitor charging power of almost 2 mW has been demonstrated in the laboratory. The storage device can then power (for example) a medical device that has low power requirements such as a pacemaker.