VLSI or microelectronics is visibly one of the most rapidly evolving technology domains. Not so long ago VLSI engineers were working on micrometer size devices (channel length of MOSFET in IC design) but today nanometer size devices are quite commonly used in the design. The result of this miniaturization of electronic circuits, ICs to such extreme extent is that today we have electronics applications and products which were unimaginable 5-10 years ago. One such application domain is medical field where miniaturization of electronic is proving to be a great boon. In this article I am discussing two such examples from the medical field.

1. Medicine of The Future: ATOMS 'Smart Pills'

To diagnose and treat diseases in the body a prototype medical device has been developed. Unique thing about this device is that it can precisely identify the location inside the body where the medication is required. The device is called ATOMS (Addressable Transmitters Pperated as Magnetic Spins). These ATOMS are based on the same principle as of MRI in which atoms at two different locations resonate at two different frequencies by creating a magnetic field gradient. These ATOMS devices are fabricated in integrated chips and could be used in the human body to monitor patient's gastrointestinal tract, blood, kidney or brain measuring parameters such as pH, temperature, pressure, sugar concentrations etc. Also these devices could even be instructed to release drugs in the body and could be used with smart pills. The figure below shows ATOMS devices in action inside the body.

Image Source - https://techxplore.com/

2. Health Monitoring Device: Electronic skin

A new electronic skin microsystem have been developed by researchers which can monitor respiration, heart rate, muscle movement & other health parameters and then transmit the data to a smart phone. Advantages of this device over others is that it is having a greater flexibility due to the soft material, portability due to smaller size and ability to stick the self adhesive patch anywhere on the body because it is made up of soft silicone about 4cm(1.5 inches) in diameter. This electronic skin contains 50 components which are connected in a spider web using 250 tiny wire coils (made of gold, chromium or phosphate) embedded in a protective silicone. These tiny coils are three dimensional (can stretch and contract) that increases the flexibility of the device. The device is powered wirelessly rather than being charged by a battery. Future developments on this electronic skin will make it supportive for telemedicine and treatment systems for patients in remote areas. Figure below one such patch of electronic skin.

Image Source: California Institute of Technology and DGIST (Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology)

By - Minaxi Dassi - Assistant Professor, ECE, Chitkara University, H.P.

References:-

1. Manuel Monge, Audrey Lee-Gosselin, Mikhail G. Shapiro, Azita Emami. Localization of microscale devices in vivo using addressable transmitters operated as magnetic spins. Nature Biomedical Engineering, 2017; 1 (9): 736 DOI: 10.1038/s41551-017-0129-2
2. Kyung-In Jang, Kan Li, Ha Uk Chung, Sheng Xu, Han Na Jung, Yiyuan Yang, Jean Won Kwak, Han Hee Jung, Juwon Song, Ce Yang, Ao Wang, Zhuangjian Liu, Jong Yoon Lee, Bong Hoon Kim, Jae-Hwan Kim, Jungyup Lee, Yongjoon Yu, Bum Jun Kim, Hokyung Jang, Ki Jun Yu, Jeonghyun Kim, Jung Woo Lee, Jae-Woong Jeong, Young Min Song, Yonggang Huang, Yihui Zhang, John A. Rogers. Self-assembled three dimensional network designs for soft electronics. Nature Communications, 2017; 8: 15894 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15894