New Tech Lets Implanted Devices Talk Wirelessly to Smartphones and Watches

Those looking forward to a cyborg-filled world, rejoice! Researchers from the University of Washington have developed a new way of letting devices, such as brain implants, contact lenses, credit cards, and smaller wearable electronics talk wirelessly to everyday gadgets like smartphones and watches.

Called “Interscatter,” the novel approach transforms wireless transmissions from one technology to another, over the air. For example, Bluetooth signals from a smartwatch can relay data from a neural device implanted in a patient’s brain to a smartphone via Wi-FI.

The process relies on a communication technique called backscatter, which allows gadgets to exchange information simply by reflecting existing signals. Because the new technique enables inter-technology communication by using Bluetooth signals to create Wi-Fi transmissions, the team calls it “interscattering.”

According to its press release, interscatter communication uses the Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or ZigBee radios in common devices to serve as both sources and receivers for these reflected signals.

The hope is that, one day, this technology will transform healthcare and unleash the power of ubiquitous connectivity. You can read all about the project on its page here, as well as download its paper.