As wearable devices and implantable medical devices advance, there is a growing demand for stable and sustainable power supply technology. Domestic researchers have developed a technology that transmits power wirelessly, raising hopes for eliminating batteries in medical devices.
Professor Park Yoon-seok and his research team from Kyunghee University noted on the 25th that they successfully developed next-generation power supply technology that efficiently delivers energy to bioelectronic devices implanted in the body in any environment. The results of this research were published in the international academic journal Science Advances on the 23rd.
In the case of implantable electronic devices, battery replacement is difficult, requiring stable power delivery from external sources. Therefore, high-efficiency wireless energy transfer technology is necessary. However, the currently developed advanced wireless power technologies face limitations such as heat generation issues and decreased power transfer efficiency due to alignment sensitivity, causing challenges in the commercialization of implantable electronic devices.
The research team overcame these limitations by developing a wireless triboelectric device (MA-TENG) that generates triboelectricity using vibration energy based on a magnetic field. The developed device operates solely on an external magnetic field and maintained stable output in various environments, including air, water, metal, and fat. It recorded over 80% performance even under misalignment conditions.
The results showed stable operation after implanting the device in the fat tissue of pigs, and thermal imaging revealed no heat detected on the surface.
The developed device is expected to be used in various implantable devices, such as pacemakers, biosensors, and drug delivery systems, as a long-term power supply.
Professor Park Yoon-seok said, "This research significantly increases the potential for wireless technology in implantable medical devices," adding that "it will be an important turning point in the commercialization of implantable bio devices."
References
Science Advances (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adu5919