‘MagLense’ – a wireless power for implants and wearables

Wireless charging is making an impact in the medical sector by means of being able to charge implants and sensors long-term that is located beneath the skin. Researchers have been able to print wireless power transmitting antenna on flexible materials that could be placed under the skin of patients.

MagLense, a breakthrough in through body wireless power transfer from product design and development firm Cambridge Consultants, is set to revolutionize the world of medical implants and consumer wearable devices.

The system provides flexible, efficient and safe wireless power transfer to devices inside the body without having to worry about precise alignment with the implant, and regardless of the size and body shape of the patient.

The breakthrough promises to free up patients who currently have to spend 4-6 hours per charge cycle charging up their implant batteries. Fast and efficient charging opens the door to a new generation of batteryless smart implants powered wirelessly from power sources up to 50 centimetres away – near a bed or behind an armchair, for example – giving the patient freedom of movement at all times.

The efficient way in which the power is targeted and transferred also means that any external power source, for when the patient is outside the home, could be much smaller than today’s devices, which are typically the size of a smartphone.

The MagLense system has been enabled by Cambridge Consultants’ world-leading capabilities in on-body wireless, wireless power delivery, connected implants and state-of-the-art antenna design.

The MagLense system uses multiple uniquely shaped flexible coils to shape the applied magnetic field, to intelligently target an implant. This novel configuration and control architecture enables more efficient power transfer to the implant – allowing much more alignment leeway and higher rates of power delivery. In doing so, it opens the door to not just an improved patient experience, but new powering approaches for many implants, such as on demand wireless powering rather than simply wireless charging.

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