Wireless Charging for Medical Devices

Engineers who work with AltaSim Technologies bring their products to market more rapidly, at a lower cost, and with an optimized design by leveraging our guidance for implementing Multiphysics simulations. To help see the impact we have on our clients, we have put together a brief case study of a unique solution our simulation experts produced on a recent project.

Problem:

A client of AltaSim’s was developing a rapidly charging wireless system for implanted medical devices. The engineers designing this system needed to balance induced current and the health of the patient. Because rapid charging typically produces higher tissue temperatures, the engineers faced two challenges. The first was to develop a system that provided sufficient induced current in the implanted coil to charge the device in a short time. The second challenge was the need to keep the surrounding tissue temperature below a tissue damaging temperature.

Solution:

AltaSim developed multiphysics simulations of the two-coil system that included critical operation details in the design. These simulations calculated the current induced by the charging coil in the implanted coil. AltaSim’s simulation engineers extended this simulation to include the Joule heating produced by the induced currents and the heat transferred into the surrounding tissue. By including the bioheat equation, these simulations calculated the tissue temperature as a function of time. From this data, the simulations calculated the tissue damage produced by the elevated temperatures.

Results:

Through a $20,000 investment with AltaSim, our client leveraged our engineers’ extensive experience in electromagnetics and tissue heating to improve their prototype design. They were able to cut the prototype development time in half because they were able to focus their internal engineering resources on developing physical prototypes of improved designs. They estimated that using internal engineering resources to develop these simulations would have required twice the investment and would have taken four times as long to develop.

AltaSim partners with companies to provide simulations that increase the knowledge and understanding of our clients’ engineering staff. Through these simulations, we work with our clients to develop actionable plans to solve their engineering challenges. To better understand our simulation services, visit our website for an overview. To contact us directly, please visit our Contact Us page.

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May 2023 Case Study