In vivo communications: Steps toward the next generation of implantable devices

In vivo wireless medical devices have the potential to play a vital role in future healthcare technologies by improving the quality of human life. In order to fully exploit the capabilities of such devices, it is necessary to characterize and model the in vivo wireless communication channel. Utilization of this model will have a significant role in improving the communication performance of embedded medical devices in terms of power, reliability and spectral efficiency. In this paper, the state of the art in this field is presented to provide a comprehensive understanding of current models. Such knowledge will be used to optimize the design and selection of various in vivo wireless communication methods, operational frequencies, and antenna design. Finally, open research areas are discussed for the future studies.