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Implanted medical devices are instruments placed surgically in the body. Many are battery-powered or can be wirelessly recharged. While they can be lifesavers, they are not without problems. They can run out of battery power, and wireless methods for transferring power and data have technical limitations.
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One possible solution would be a physical plug that connects an implanted device to external equipment. But that would introduce more issues. The wound would have to remain open, increasing the risk of infection, while rigid materials could also damage surrounding tissue.
To address the challenge, scientists at the University of California, Irvine, have developed a soft, tissue-like port called the Implantable Bioelectronic Outlet, or IBO. It is essentially a hidden electrical socket beneath the skin. If doctors need to download high-speed data, recharge an implanted battery or deliver electrical stimulation, they can insert a tiny needle directly through the skin into the soft port.
Details of the technology are published in the journal Science Advances.
Building a tissue-like plug
The IBO is made primarily from a soft, sponge-like porous polymer with holes about 150 micrometers wide, roughly the diameter of a stylet (a thin needle-like probe). The researchers dipped the foam into a conductive polymer to coat the inner walls of the tiny holes, allowing electricity to flow smoothly through the entire structure while keeping it flexible.
Next, they coated it with a thin, water-resistant silicone layer to keep moisture out and electrically insulate it. Finally, they stacked several of these silicone-coated sponge layers together and bonded them using flexible silicone.
Testing safety and performance
After initial mechanical and electrical tests, they implanted the devices in rodents. The ports allowed the research team to stream high-speed digital brain signals from an internal chip at 16 megabits per second, recharge an implanted battery and deliver nerve stimulation currents.
These IBOs remained functional after more than a year inside the body, and the surrounding tissue showed no major scarring or inflammation. "Chronically implanted IBOs were functional and biologically well tolerated after one year of implantation," the study authors wrote.
In an experiment with pigs, the outlet was used during surgery to deliver electrical stimulation to the optic nerve and performed just as well as a conventional wired connection. "The IBO addresses key challenges of signal and power transfer for implantable bioelectronics."
While there is much more work ahead, the team believes its socket could provide a safe and reliable way for external hardware to connect directly to devices inside the body.
Written for you by our author Paul Arnold,edited by Lisa Lock, and fact-checked and reviewed by Robert Egan—thisarticle is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive.If this reporting matters to you,please consider a donation (especially monthly).
More information: Hyung Joon Shim et al, Implantable bioelectronic outlet, Science Advances (2026). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aee9688
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This story was originally published on Medical Xpress.
