Tugging at the Heartstrings

A heart surgeon and an electrical engineer has collaborated for the development of a system named Free-Range Resonant Electrical Energy Delivery System (FREE-D). The system is based on induction but uses resonant coupling between transmitter and receiver coils tuned to a specific frequency in the MHz range, allowing a power transfer with high efficiency over a distance of the order of a meter. In this system, one small coil can be implanted in the body while the larger transmitting coil can be worn conveniently in a vest or even attached to a bed or mounted on the ceiling. Actual clinical use of the system is awaited that include animal studies and clinical trials. The system is a good answer to earlier products that have low tolerance for misalignment between the two coils, and the placement of the external coil on the skin can result in local irritation, infection, and even thermal injury.