Wireless Power Could Cut Cord for Patients with Implanted Heart Pumps

Mechanical pumps to give failing hearts a boost were originally developed as temporary measures for patients awaiting a heart transplant. As the technology has improved, these ventricular assist devices commonly operate in patients for years. Prolonged use, however, has its own problems. The power cord that protrudes through the patient’s belly is cumbersome and prone to infection. Infections occur in nearly 40 percent of patients, are the leading cause of rehospitalization, and can be fatal.

Researchers at the University of Washington and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) are testing a wireless power system for ventricular assist devices in an attempt to put an end to troublesome cords.

The research team is led by Joshua Smith, a UW associate professor of computer science and engineering and electrical engineering, along with UPMC heart surgeon Pramod Bonde. The concept is a variation on inductive power, in which a transmitting coil sends out electromagnetic waves at a certain frequency and a receiving coil absorbs the energy and uses it to charge a battery. “Most people’s intuition about wireless power is that as the receiver gets further away, you get less power,” Smith said, “but with this technique the efficiency doesn’t change with distance.”

The team envisions a future in which patients install transmission coils in their homes and workplaces to create zones where the implant would receive uninterrupted power. A small receiver coil implanted under the patient’s skin connects to a battery that holds enough power for approximately two hours. The patient could then be completely free for short periods of time to take a bath or go for a swim (current users of heart pumps cannot do either). Longer term, the researchers imagine additional power transmitters placed under a patient’s bed or chair, allowing patients to move unencumbered.

The potential for wireless power goes far beyond powering artificial hearts. It could be used to power other types of implants or to recharge consumer electronics or underwater ocean instruments. Read more »

Visionary Innovator Wins MacArthur “Genius” Award

Shwetak Patel, assistant professor of computer science and engineering and electrical engineering has been named one of this year’s MacArthur Foundation Fellows.

Patel is one of 22 people honored with the $500,000 no-strings-attached prizes that are often referred to as the “genius” awards. “It feels like winning an intellectual lottery,” Patel said.

Patel’s most recent research has been in building a new class of low-cost and easy-to-deploy sensing systems for the home which leverages existing utility infrastructures. In addition to the resource conservation applications of his sensor systems, Patel is also exploring their potential for home security or elder care.

Patel showed humor when discussing the award. He expects “genius” jokes from his students starting the school year. “My wife is already making those,” he explained. Read more »

Historical Mystery Set in UW Electrical Engineering Lab

It’s the spring of 1901, and a UW electrical engineering professor lies dead in the basement of Denny Hall, found inside a mysterious contraption built as part of a student exhibition. The colleague who discovered the body is soon both the prime suspect and the lead investigator trying to solve the case.

It’s not history, but a newly published mystery novel, written by UW Bothell graduate Bernadette Pajer and set more than a century ago on the UW campus. Though the story is fictional, the details of the setting, the time period and the technology are real. Enticed? Read more »