Bio-integrated μBots with overtone ultrawideband magnetoelectric antennas for wireless telemetry
Implantable and wearable devices require antennas that are both miniaturized and efficient, yet conventional designs are constrained by narrow bandwidth and orientation sensitivity. We report overtone ultrawideband magnetoelectric (OUWB-ME) antennas that exploit higher-order acoustic modes in polished silicon substrates to achieve a 22.6-gigahertz -10-decibel bandwidth and overtone capability in the 3- to 4-gigahertz range. Packaged into "μBots," these magnetoelectric heterostructures bonded with silver nanoparticle inks maintain stable operation under biological loading. In vitro assays confirm the biocompatibility of aluminum nitride and the protective role of parylene encapsulation for iron-gallium. Ex vivo rat and human tissues reshape transmission and reflection spectra, with reproducible frequency windows near 3.3 and 3.9 gigahertz. μBots enable real-time audiovisual telemetry using software-defined radios and exhibit compatibility with 7-tesla magnetic resonance imaging. By combining wideband response, robustness to misalignment, and biocompatible packaging, OUWB-ME μBots provide a scalable platform for wireless bio-integrated communication and telemetry.
Authors
- William M. Holmes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0942-215X)
- L. Selmi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8688-4326)
- Michèle Giugliano (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2626-594X)
- Alessio Di Clemente (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7129-7882)
- Mostafa Elsayed (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4011-8228)
- S. Cochran (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7324-7790)
- Rossana Cecchi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8451-7212)
- Jeff Kettle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1245-5286)
- Jonathon R. Harwell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2508-1965)
- Luana Benetti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3063-957X)
- Ricardo Ferreira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0953-2225)
- Adam Armada‐Moreira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1598-5784)
- Mahdieh Shojaei Baghini (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3685-5441)
- M. Maini
- Dibyajyoti Mukherjee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3201-4944)
- Afesomeh Ofiare
- Hadi Heidari (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8412-8164)
- Carlos García Núñez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5518-6189)
- Laura Mazón‐Maldonado (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2685-157X)
- Dayhim Nekoeian (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2519-7805)
- Nicola Toschi
- Declan Bolster
- Mary Dysko (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5929-2675)
Institutions
- University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT)
- University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (IT)
- Harvard University (US)
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati (IT)
- Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (US)
- International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (PT)
- National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (IT)
- University of Glasgow (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Science Advances
- Published
- 2026-07-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aec7011
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting Materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation