Body Area Networks: The Missing Communication Layer for Distributed Implants
Every implantable medical device today runs into the same wall: a sensor placed in one part of the body has no reliable way to talk directly to a stimulator placed somewhere else. Manufacturers have found only partial workarounds. Some collapse sensing and stimulation into a single unit, which limits therapy to one site. Others connect separate implants with wired leads, which fail mechanically, constrain where implants can be placed, and do not scale to systems with more than two nodes. A few use RF telemetry between implants, but only by routing the signal through an external relay or processor worn outside the body, which adds latency, extra hardware, and battery drain, and rules out a fully implanted system.
Probingon licenses FAT-IBC (Fat-tissue Intra-Body Communication) to medical device manufacturers as a ready-to-integrate communication layer. The technology uses the body's own subcutaneous fat as a signal-carrying medium: at 2.4 GHz, fat tissue behaves as a natural waveguide, creating a secure, cable-free channel between independent implants, a physical mechanism that differs from both radiated RF telemetry and wired connections between implants. Originating from a decade of research at Uppsala University's Microwave in Medical Engineering Group, FAT-IBC removes the colocation constraint, enabling distributed multi-node therapy architectures not achievable with wired leads or relay-based approaches today.
Validated Performance:
- TRL 6 achieved at system level within the H2020 B-CRATOS programme, independently assessed by an EU expert review panel; spinal-anatomy validation for the neuromodulation entry application is underway
- 92 Mb/s sustained throughput demonstrated at 30 cm using onbody antennas (40 MHz channel, IEEE 802.11n), with no significant BER degradation at the longest phantom length tested; peer-reviewed and published in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering (IEEE TBME 2024)
- Propagation validated across torso and limb spans in human volunteer trials and obese/athletic torso phantoms, with a measured Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) of 0.3061 W/kg, well within the 1.6 W/kg IEEE safety limit; peer-reviewed and published in Scientific Reports (Nature Portfolio, 2026)
- Sub-2 ms end-to-end latency, well within the range needed for real-time signal exchange between implants, demonstrated in the EU-funded H2020 B-CRATOS programme
- 60+ dB signal attenuation outside the body at 10 cm, adding a physical barrier against external interception as a complement to standard encryption
Intellectual Property:
The core physics of FAT-IBC, using fat tissue as a wireless waveguide, is covered by a published PCT patent application (WO 2026/024215 A1). National phase entries in target markets are in progress, and additional applications covering wireless pain management and closed-loop organ control are in preparation.
Platform Reach:
FAT-IBC is a platform technology. Its core communication layer is validated in neuromodulation applications, and the same physical layer is designed to extend into BCI, cardiac, and pelvic health, and into any implant architecture that could benefit from direct node-to-node communication: replacing the wired lead, replacing the external relay, or opening a path to multi-site therapy for single-site devices that have never needed a second node before. Build once. License everywhere.
Exploring FAT-IBC as an OEM partner or potential investor? See our Investors page.