Degradable, Wireless Optoelectronics for Electrotherapy

Over the last several years, a collection of materials, device designs and fabrication methods have emerged to support high performance classes of electronic and optoelectronic systems that can degrade -- safely, entirely and without a trace -- inside the body, over well-defined timescales. The resulting class of temporary implantable technology can serve important roles in clinical medicine, including those where sensors, actuators and other components monitor and/or assist a transient biological process such as wound healing. In these cases, the devices disappear after they are no longer needed, to eliminate unnecessary load on the body without the need for a surgical procedure for extraction. This talk presents the latest progress in this area, with a specific focus on materials for optoelectronic and self-powered operation in degradable implants for nerve stimulation and cardiac pacing.