Ada S. Y. Poon
Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering
Bio
Ada was born and raised in Hong Kong. She received her B.Eng degree from the EEE department at the University of Hong Kong and her Ph.D. degree from the EECS department at the University of California at Berkeley in 2004. Her dissertation attempted to connect information theory with electromagnetic theory so as to better understand the fundamental limit of wireless channels
Upon graduation, she spent one year at Intel as a senior research scientist building reconfigurable baseband processors for flexible radios. Afterwards, she joined her advisor’s startup company, SiBeam Inc., architecting Gigabit wireless transceivers leveraging 60 GHz CMOS and MIMO antenna systems. After two years in industries, she returned to academic and joined the faculty of the ECE department at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Since then, she has changed her research direction from wireless communications to integrated biomedical systems. In 2008, she moved back to California and joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. She is a Terman Fellow at Stanford University.
Academic Appointments
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Associate Professor, Electrical Engineering
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Member, Bio-X
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Member, Cardiovascular Institute
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Member, Stanford Neurosciences Institute
Honors & Awards
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Research Grant recipient, Okawa Foundation (2010)
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CAREER Award, NSF (2013)
Professional Education
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PhD, UC Berkeley, Electrical Engineering (2004)
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MS, UC Berkeley, Electrical Engineering (1999)
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MPhil, University of Hong Kong, Electrical and Electronic Engineering (1997)
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BEng, University of Hong Kong, Electrical and Electronic Engineering (1996)
Current Research and Scholarly Interests
Our research focuses on providing theoretical foundations and engineering platforms for realizing electronics that seamlessly integrate with the body. Such systems will allow precise recording or modulation of physiological activity, for advancing basic scientific discovery and for restoring or augmenting biological functions for clinical applications. To build these integrated biomedical systems, our research program emphasizes a vertical integration of diverse fields ranging from physics, wireless technologies, and low-power integrated circuits. In close collaboration with biologists and clinical specialists, we validate our systems in animal models and prepare the testing of the systems in humans.
Projects
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Wireless neuromodulation platforms, Stanford University
Optical or electrical stimulation of neural circuits in mice during natural behavior is an important paradigm for studying brain function. Conventional systems for optogenetics and electrical stimulation require tethers or large head-mounted devices that disrupt animal behavior. Our research focuses on developing new wireless tools for activity modulation and recording in both the brain and the periphery. Targeted technologies include wireless platforms for experiments in freely-moving animals and tiny, fully-implantable devices for controlled delivery of light or electrical pulses.
Location
Stanford, CA
Collaborators
- Scott Delp, James H. Clark Professor in the School of Engineering, Professor of Bioengineering, of Mechanical Engineering and, by courtesy, of Orthopaedic Surgery, Stanford University
- Karl Deisseroth, D. H. Chen Professor, Professor of Bioengineering and of Psychiatry and of Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University
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Metasurfaces, Stanford University
The solid immersion lens is a powerful optical tool that allows light entering material from air or vacuum to focus to a spot much smaller than the free-space wavelength. Conventionally, however, they rely on semispherical topographies and are non-planar and bulky, which limits their integration in many applications. Recently, there has been considerable interest in using planar structures, referred to as metasurfaces, to construct flat optical components for manipulating light in unusual ways. Here, we propose and demonstrate the concept of a planar immersion lens based on metasurfaces. The resulting planar device, when placed near an interface between air and dielectric material, can focus electromagnetic radiation incident from air to a spot in material smaller than the free-space wavelength.
Location
Stanford, CA
Collaborators
- Shanhui Fan, Professor of Electrical Engineering and, by courtesy, of Applied Physics, Stanford University
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Development of wireless powered miniature pacing devices for cardiac rhythm management (無線微型心臟起搏器的研發與應用)
While advances in miniaturization has paved way for tiny cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) that circumvent conventional surgical implantation, there is still lack of effective method for powering them deep in the body. Existing methods for energy storage, harvesting, or transfer, such as ultrasound or electromagnetic energy require large components that do not scale to millimeter dimensions. At Stanford University, we report a new wireless power transfer method that overcomes this challenge and use it to realize a tiny electrostimulator that is orders of magnitude smaller than conventional pacemakers. The objective of this project is to perform pre-clinical studies in Hong Kong evaluating this new way of powering cardiac pacemaker. This project is funded by ITF, the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
Location
Hong Kong
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Wireless power transfer to microimplants, Stanford University
Medical electronics are capable of precisely monitoring or modulating activity in the human body, and thus hold promise for treating a broad range of diseases. To implant electronic devices in the body, they need to be miniaturized and powered wirelessly across complex biological tissue. We are developing a new method of electromagnetic energy transfer, termed midfield powering, to power devices at the scale of a millimeter or less anywhere in the body, including the heart and the brain. Our approach spans fundamental studies of wave-tissue interactions, development of new electromagnetic structures, and experiments in both computational and animal tissue models.
Location
Stanford, CA
Collaborators
- Ramin Beygui, Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Stanford University
2015-16 Courses
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Independent Studies (6)
- Research
PHYSICS 490 (Aut) - Special Studies and Reports in Electrical Engineering
EE 191 (Aut, Win, Spr) - Special Studies and Reports in Electrical Engineering
EE 391 (Aut, Win, Spr, Sum) - Special Studies and Reports in Electrical Engineering (WIM)
EE 191W (Aut, Win, Spr) - Special Studies or Projects in Electrical Engineering
EE 190 (Aut, Win, Spr) - Special Studies or Projects in Electrical Engineering
EE 390 (Aut, Win, Spr)
- Research
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Prior Year Courses
2014-15 Courses
- Antennas
EE 252 (Win) - Autonomous Implantable Systems
EE 303 (Spr)
2013-14 Courses
- Antenna Theory
EE 252 (Aut) - Autonomous Implantable Systems
EE 303 (Win)
2012-13 Courses
- Antenna Theory
EE 252 (Win) - Electrical Engineering in Biology and Medicine
EE 202 (Spr)
- Antennas
All Publications
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Wirelessly powered, fully internal optogenetics for brain, spinal and peripheral circuits in mice.
Nature methods
2015; 12 (10): 969-974
Abstract
To enable sophisticated optogenetic manipulation of neural circuits throughout the nervous system with limited disruption of animal behavior, light-delivery systems beyond fiber optic tethering and large, head-mounted wireless receivers are desirable. We report the development of an easy-to-construct, implantable wireless optogenetic device. Our smallest version (20 mg, 10 mm(3)) is two orders of magnitude smaller than previously reported wireless optogenetic systems, allowing the entire device to be implanted subcutaneously. With a radio-frequency (RF) power source and controller, this implant produces sufficient light power for optogenetic stimulation with minimal tissue heating (<1 °C). We show how three adaptations of the implant allow for untethered optogenetic control throughout the nervous system (brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerve endings) of behaving mice. This technology opens the door for optogenetic experiments in which animals are able to behave naturally with optogenetic manipulation of both central and peripheral targets.
View details for DOI 10.1038/nmeth.3536
View details for PubMedID 26280330
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Self-Tracking Energy Transfer for Neural Stimulation in Untethered Mice
PHYSICAL REVIEW APPLIED
2015; 4 (2)
View details for DOI 10.1103/PhysRevApplied.4.024001
View details for Web of Science ID 000358939400001
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An Energy Harvesting 2 x 2 60 GHz Transceiver With Scalable Data Rate of 38-2450 Mb/s for Near-Range Communication
IEEE JOURNAL OF SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS
2015; 50 (8): 1889-1902
View details for DOI 10.1109/JSSC.2015.2429716
View details for Web of Science ID 000358618500014
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INDUCTIVE POWER TRANSFER AND FAR-FIELD RADIATION WITH SMALL DUAL-BAND ANTENNAS
MICROWAVE AND OPTICAL TECHNOLOGY LETTERS
2015; 57 (5)
View details for DOI 10.1002/mop.29014
View details for Web of Science ID 000351835800008
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Planar immersion lens with metasurfaces
PHYSICAL REVIEW B
2015; 91 (12)
View details for DOI 10.1103/PhysRevB.91.125145
View details for Web of Science ID 000352196700006
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Midfield Wireless Power Transfer for Bioelectronics
IEEE CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS MAGAZINE
2015; 15 (2): 54-60
View details for DOI 10.1109/MCAS.2015.2418999
View details for Web of Science ID 000354858000006
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Wireless power transfer to deep-tissue microimplants
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
2014; 111 (22): 7974-7979
Abstract
The ability to implant electronic systems in the human body has led to many medical advances. Progress in semiconductor technology paved the way for devices at the scale of a millimeter or less ("microimplants"), but the miniaturization of the power source remains challenging. Although wireless powering has been demonstrated, energy transfer beyond superficial depths in tissue has so far been limited by large coils (at least a centimeter in diameter) unsuitable for a microimplant. Here, we show that this limitation can be overcome by a method, termed midfield powering, to create a high-energy density region deep in tissue inside of which the power-harvesting structure can be made extremely small. Unlike conventional near-field (inductively coupled) coils, for which coupling is limited by exponential field decay, a patterned metal plate is used to induce spatially confined and adaptive energy transport through propagating modes in tissue. We use this method to power a microimplant (2 mm, 70 mg) capable of closed-chest wireless control of the heart that is orders of magnitude smaller than conventional pacemakers. With exposure levels below human safety thresholds, milliwatt levels of power can be transferred to a deep-tissue (>5 cm) microimplant for both complex electronic function and physiological stimulation. The approach developed here should enable new generations of implantable systems that can be integrated into the body at minimal cost and risk.
View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.1403002111
View details for Web of Science ID 000336687900037
View details for PubMedID 24843161
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A Small Dual-Band Asymmetric Dipole Antenna for 13.56 MHz Power and 2.45 GHz Data Transmission
IEEE ANTENNAS AND WIRELESS PROPAGATION LETTERS
2014; 13: 1120-1123
View details for DOI 10.1109/LAWP.2014.2330496
View details for Web of Science ID 000338355700004
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A 3.24-to-8.45GHz Low-Phase-Noise Mode-Switching Oscillator
2014 IEEE INTERNATIONAL SOLID-STATE CIRCUITS CONFERENCE DIGEST OF TECHNICAL PAPERS (ISSCC)
2014; 57: 368-?
View details for Web of Science ID 000353615000151
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Energy Transfer for Implantable Electronics in the Electromagnetic Midfield
PROGRESS IN ELECTROMAGNETICS RESEARCH-PIER
2014; 148: 151-158
View details for DOI 10.2528/PIER14070603
View details for Web of Science ID 000346151100013
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A General Solution to Wireless Power Transfer between Two Circular Loops
PROGRESS IN ELECTROMAGNETICS RESEARCH-PIER
2014; 148: 171-182
View details for DOI 10.2528/PIER14071201
View details for Web of Science ID 000346151100015
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An Energy Harvesting 2x2 60GHz Transceiver with Scalable Data Rate of 38-to-2450Mb/s for Near Range Communication
2014 IEEE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CUSTOM INTEGRATED CIRCUITS CONFERENCE (CICC)
2014
View details for Web of Science ID 000349122300081
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Wirelessly powering miniature implants for optogenetic stimulation
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
2013; 103 (16)
View details for DOI 10.1063/1.4825272
View details for Web of Science ID 000326148700092
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Mass fabrication and delivery of 3D multilayer mu Tags into living cells
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
2013; 3
View details for DOI 10.1038/srep02295
View details for Web of Science ID 000322308900002
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Midfield Wireless Powering for Implantable Systems
PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE
2013; 101 (6): 1369-1378
View details for DOI 10.1109/JPROC.2013.2251851
View details for Web of Science ID 000319147000011
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Midfield Wireless Powering of Subwavelength Autonomous Devices
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS
2013; 110 (20)
View details for DOI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.110.203905
View details for Web of Science ID 000319214800003
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Mass fabrication and delivery of 3D multilayer µTags into living cells.
Scientific reports
2013; 3: 2295-?
Abstract
Continuous monitoring of in vivo biological processes and their evolution at the cellular level would enable major advances in our understanding of biology and disease. As a stepping stone towards chronic cellular monitoring, we demonstrate massively parallel fabrication and delivery of 3D multilayer micro-Tags (μTags) into living cells. Both 10 μm × 10 μm × 1.5 μm and 18 μm × 7 μm × 1.5 μm devices containing inductive and capacitive structures were designed and fabricated as potential passive radio-frequency identification tags. We show cellular internalization and persistence of μTags over a 5-day period. Our results represent a promising advance in technologies for studying biology and disease at the cellular level.
View details for DOI 10.1038/srep02295
View details for PubMedID 23887586
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A 11 mu W Sub-pJ/bit Reconfigurable Transceiver for mm-Sized Wireless Implants
2013 IEEE CUSTOM INTEGRATED CIRCUITS CONFERENCE (CICC)
2013
View details for Web of Science ID 000350887800100
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Emerging wireless applications in biomedicine
2013 5TH IEEE INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON ADVANCES IN SENSORS AND INTERFACES (IWASI)
2013: 35-35
View details for Web of Science ID 000333521100009
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A mm-Sized Wirelessly Powered and Remotely Controlled Locomotive Implant
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON BIOMEDICAL CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS
2012; 6 (6): 523-532
View details for DOI 10.1109/TBCAS.2012.2232665
View details for Web of Science ID 000313907800002
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Wireless Power Transfer to Miniature Implants: Transmitter Optimization
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION
2012; 60 (10): 4838-4845
View details for DOI 10.1109/TAP.2012.2207341
View details for Web of Science ID 000309742400041
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Wireless power transfer to a cardiac implant
APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS
2012; 101 (7)
View details for DOI 10.1063/1.4745600
View details for Web of Science ID 000308263100081
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Supporting and Enabling Circuits for Antenna Arrays in Wireless Communications
PROCEEDINGS OF THE IEEE
2012; 100 (7): 2207-2218
View details for DOI 10.1109/JPROC.2012.2186949
View details for Web of Science ID 000305621300011
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Implantable Biomedical Devices: Wireless Powering and Communication
IEEE COMMUNICATIONS MAGAZINE
2012; 50 (4): 152-159
View details for Web of Science ID 000302637000021
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Exceeding Nernst Limit (59mV/pH): CMOS-Based pH Sensor for Autonomous Applications
2012 IEEE INTERNATIONAL ELECTRON DEVICES MEETING (IEDM)
2012
View details for Web of Science ID 000320615600141
- Electromagnetic field focusing for short-range wireless power transmission IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium (RWS) 2012
- Beam focused slot antenna for microstrip implants 2012
- A mm-sized wireless powered and remotely controlled locomotive implant IEEE Trans. Biomedical Circuits and Systems 2012; 6 (6): 523-532
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Wireless Powering of Microchip Implants by a Cross-Slot Antenna
2012 ASIA-PACIFIC MICROWAVE CONFERENCE (APMC 2012)
2012: 418-420
View details for Web of Science ID 000319213700140
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Degree-of-Freedom Gain From Using Polarimetric Antenna Elements
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION THEORY
2011; 57 (9): 5695-5709
View details for DOI 10.1109/TIT.2011.2161952
View details for Web of Science ID 000295738800009
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Detecting Human Blockage and Device Movement in mmWave Communication System
2011 IEEE GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE (GLOBECOM 2011)
2011
View details for Web of Science ID 000300509005010
- Successive AoA estimation: revealing the second path for 60 GHz communication system Allerton Conference 2011
- Future implantable systems 2011
- Wireless communication device using adaptive beamforming 2011
- A 60GHz digitally controlled RF beamforming array in 65nm CMOS with off-chip antennas 2011
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Coding the Beams: Improving Beamforming Training in mmWave Communication System
2011 IEEE GLOBAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS CONFERENCE (GLOBECOM 2011)
2011
View details for Web of Science ID 000300509005050
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Optimal Transmit Dimension for Wireless Powering of Miniature Implants
2011 IEEE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION (APSURSI)
2011: 408-411
View details for Web of Science ID 000297298500107
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A Four-Channel Beamforming Down-Converter in 90-nm CMOS Utilizing Phase-Oversampling
IEEE-INST ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS INC. 2010: 2262-2272
View details for DOI 10.1109/JSSC.2010.2063971
View details for Web of Science ID 000283442500006
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Optimal Frequency for Wireless Power Transmission Into Dispersive Tissue
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION
2010; 58 (5): 1739-1750
View details for DOI 10.1109/TAP.2010.2044310
View details for Web of Science ID 000277339900033
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Degree-of-Freedom Gain from Polarimetric Antenna Elements
2010 IEEE ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
2010
View details for Web of Science ID 000287212402207
- Fast beam training for mmWave communication system: from algorithm to circuits ACM international workshop on mmWave communications: from circuits to networks 2010
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Optimizations of Source Distribution in Wireless Power Transmission for Implantable Devices
2010 IEEE ANTENNAS AND PROPAGATION SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM
2010
View details for Web of Science ID 000287212401174
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Translating Electromagnetic Torque into Controlled Motion for use in Medical Implants
2010 ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY (EMBC)
2010: 6433-6436
Abstract
A new propulsion method for sub-millimeter implants is presented that achieves high power to thrust conversion efficiency with a simple implementation. Previous research has shown that electromagnetic forces are a promising micro-scale propulsion mechanism; however the actual implementation is challenging due to the inherent symmetry of these forces. The presented technique translates torque into controlled motion via asymmetries in resistance forces, such as fluid drag. For a 1-mm sized object using this technique, the initial analysis predicts that speeds of 1 cm/sec can be achieved with approximately 100 µW of power, which is about 10 times more efficient than existing methods. In addition to better performance, this method is easily controllable and has favorable scalability.
View details for Web of Science ID 000287964006208
View details for PubMedID 21096711
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Miniaturization of Implantable Wireless Power Receiver
2009 ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY, VOLS 1-20
2009: 3217-3220
Abstract
Implantable medical devices will play an important role in modern medicine. To reduce the risk of wire snapping, and replacement and corrosion of embedded batteries, wireless delivery of energy to these devices is desirable. However, current autonomous implants remain large in scale due to the operation at very low frequency and the use of unwieldy size of antennas. This paper will show that the optimal frequency is about 2 orders of magnitude higher than the conventional wisdom; and thereby the power receiving coils can be reduced by more than 100 fold without sacrificing either power efficiency or range. We will show that a mm-sized implant can receive 100's microW of power under safety constraints. This level of power transfer is sufficient to enable many functionalities into the micro-implants for clinical applications.
View details for Web of Science ID 000280543602168
View details for PubMedID 19964059
- An inherently linear phase-oversampling vector modulator in 90-nm CMOS 2009
- A mm-sized implantable wireless power receiver 2009
- A mm-sized implantable power receiver with adaptive link compensation 2009
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Locomotive Micro-Implant with Active Electromagnetic Propulsion
2009 ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY, VOLS 1-20
2009: 6404-6407
Abstract
An active locomotive technique requiring only an external power source and a static magnetic field is presented, and its operation is analyzed and simulated. For a modest static MRI magnetic field of 1 T, the results show that a 1-mm cube achieves roughly 3 cm/sec of lateral motion using less than 20.4 microW of power. Current-carrying wires generate the forces, resulting in highly controllable motion. Existing solutions trade off size and power: passive solutions are small but impractical, and mechanical solutions are inefficient and large. The presented solution captures the advantages of both systems, and has much better scalability.
View details for Web of Science ID 000280543605057
View details for PubMedID 19964695
- A mixed-signal vector modulator for eigen-beamforming receivers IEEE Trans. Circuits and Systems II 2008; 55 (5): 479–483
- Polarization degrees of freedom 2008
- Non-robustness of statistics-based beamformer design in correlated design in correlated MIMO channels 2008
- Angular domain processing for MIMO wireless systems with non-uniform antenna arrays 2008
- A mixed-signal MIMO beamforming receiver 2008
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Optimal operating frequency in wireless power transmission for implantable devices
2007 ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE IEEE ENGINEERING IN MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY SOCIETY, VOLS 1-16
2007: 5674-5679
Abstract
This paper examines short-range wireless powering for implantable devices and shows that existing analysis techniques are not adequate to conclude the characteristics of power transfer efficiency over a wide frequency range. It shows, theoretically and experimentally, that the optimal frequency for power transmission in biological media can be in the GHz-range while existing solutions exclusively focus on the MHz-range. This implies that the size of the receive coil can be reduced by 10(4) times which enables the realization of fully integrated implantable devices.
View details for Web of Science ID 000253467004156
View details for PubMedID 18003300
- Angular domain signal processing techniques 2007
- An energy-efficient reconfigurable baseband processor for wireless communications IEEE Trans. VLSI Systems 2007; 15 (3): 319–327
- MIMO systems with arbitrary antenna array architectures: channel modeling, capacity, and low-complexity signaling 2007
- Deterministic spatial power allocation and bit loading for closed loop MIMO 2006
- An energy-efficient reconfigurable baseband processor for flexible radios 2006
- Technique to increase a code rate in a MIMO system using virtual channels 2006
- Method and system for closed loop transmit beamforming in MIMO systems with limited feedback 2006
- Link adaptation for MIMO transmission schemes 2006
- Impact of scattering on the capacity, diversity, and propagation range of multiple-antenna channels IEEE Trans. Information Theory 2006; 52 (3): 1087–1100
- Determining spatial power allocation and bit loading for a MIMO OFDM system without feedback information about the channel 2006
- Code rate adaptation in a MIMO system using virtual channels 2006
- Closed loop MIMO systems using codebooks for feedback 2006
- Closed loop feedback in MIMO systems 2006
- Bit distributor for multicarrier communication systems employing adaptive bit loading for multiple spatial streams and methods 2006
- Apparatus and method to form a transform 2006
- Adaptive bit loading for multicarrier communication system 2006
- Spatial puncturing apparatus, method, and system 2005
- Degrees of freedom in multiple-antenna channels: a signal space approach IEEE Trans. Information Theory 2005; 51 (2): 523–536
- Compact feedback for closed loop MIMO systems 2005
- Spatial channel models for multiple-antenna systems 2004
- An adaptive multi-antenna transceiver for slowly flat-fading channels IEEE Trans. Communications 2003; 51 (11): 1820–1827
- Indoor multiple-antenna channel characterization from 2 to 8 GHz 2003
- Multiple-antenna channels from a combined physical and networking perspective 2002
- The signal dimensions in multiple-antenna channels 2002
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Game theoretical multi-agent modelling of coalition formation for multilateral trades
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER SYSTEMS
1999; 14 (3): 929-934
View details for Web of Science ID 000081712900031
- Trade-offs of performance and single chip implementation of indoor wireless multi-access receivers 1999
- A multi-agent approach to the deregulation and restructuring of power industry 1998