A survey on communication with in-body medical devices

Abstract

Advancements in biotechnology, biomedical engineering, and microelectronics have paved the way for the era of the Internet of Medical Things, where in-body medical devices, such as implants, pacemakers, and biosensors, play a pivotal role in health monitoring and functional support for specific organs or tissues. This survey explores the feasibility of communication with in-body medical devices, addressing critical aspects including device architecture, communication capabilities, operational challenges within the human body, and the safety and security considerations of such systems. Initially, we present the implantable and ingestible medical devices, focusing on their capabilities for health monitoring as it pertains to personalized medicine. Then, we present a complete architecture of the personalized healthcare system, along with possible scenarios of communication between the system components. The next sections deal with frequency bands, wireless links, and antennas suitable for these types of communication. Then, signal processing techniques for in-body communication are described, focusing on power consumption and data rates, followed by a discussion of security issues for in-body networks. In the next section, we address the influence of the electromagnetic field on human tissues, together with the safety guidelines that in-body devices must exhibit. Finally, current standardization efforts related to in-body communications are reviewed. The paper concludes by highlighting the lessons learned and perspectives in the discussed areas.