Sustainable Power Solutions for Healthcare: Energy Harvesting and Wireless Power Transfer

Driven by the demand for continuous health monitoring, personalized medicine, and sustainable medical technologies, biomedical device development has accelerated to evolve self-powered ones. However, traditional batteries used in both wearable and implantable systems pose a number of great concerns, including the need to frequently recharge, with a limited lifespan, and necessitating surgical replacement in implanted applications. Energy harvesting and wireless power transmission technologies have recently emerged as promising alternatives for maintaining energy independence and environmental sustainability without the need for maintenance. This chapter provides an overview of energy harvesting technologies, with a focus on radio frequency energy harvesting and wireless energy transmission. Fundamentals of mechanical, thermal, solar and radio frequency-based energy harvesting, and state-of-art applications in wearable devices, implantable systems, radio-frequency identification-based health care, and the Internet of Medical Things are presented. Within this context, radio frequency energy harvesting and wireless power transmission provide key enablers for the next generation of biomedical devices. The clinical, technical and regulatory challenges related to introducing energy harvesting in healthcare are energy efficiency, biocompatibility, safety and scalability. Lastly, future progresses in systems of hybrid energy harvesting, advanced nanotechnology, and extended operating over new generations in communications technologies, are predictable to cover the way for energy harvesting based on RF systems. Energy harvesting and wireless power diffusion will share a main role in delivering justifiable and suitable energy solutions for patients. This fact offers new transformative elements in wearable, implantable, and connected healthcare technologies.