A Master of Science thesis in Biomedical Engineering by Abdelrahman Mostafa Khalaf Mostafa entitled, “Low Frequency Bimorph Cantilever Energy Harvester for Pacemaker Applications”, submitted in May 2020. Thesis advisor is Dr. Lufti Albasha. Soft copy is available (Thesis, Approval Signatures, Completion Certificate, and AUS Archives Consent Form).
Abstract
Pacemakers have seen multiple technological advancements but still face multiple issues. The ability to have a leadless and self-powered pacemaker has been always sought after by researchers and scientists. The introduction of flexible electronics has made such an endeavour a realistic and achievable one since it allows pacemakers implantation to take another advantageous shape that allows it to be further useful in the process of implantation without injuring surrounding tissue. Furthermore, energy harvesting systems have developed to a point where a pacemaker can obtain its power from naturally occurring motions and other phenomena inside the body. In this research several techniques and frameworks have been studied to realize a leadless, flexible, self-powered and smart single chamber pacemaker. The main objective of this thesis is to provide a model of a device that consumes minimum amount of power, enabling energy harvesting to be applied. This hence improves the quality of life of patients and deliver acceptable performance as compared to previously made pacemakers.