Bluetooth Signal Attenuation Analysis in Human Body Tissue Analogues

Abstract

Wireless communications for ingestible and implantable medical device applications are integral for the embedded systems employed to these ends. The Bluetooth protocol is of major interest given its ubiquitous nature in consumer electronic devices. Here the effectiveness of Bluetooth in such applications is examined with a custom-designed Bluetooth system. The radio frequency (RF) attenuation testing was conducted in a variety of different media, including water, meat, ballistic gel, and fat. The RF signal attenuation was found to be the highest in meat and ballistic gel, less in water and least severe in fat. The measured distances at which signal integrity was still maintained provide necessary information for designing and implementing Bluetooth based medical devices and function as evidence for the feasibility of Bluetooth enabled systems for such communications.