Antennas reconfigured by living cells: AntennAlive

Abstract

Reconfiguring the pattern or operating frequency of antennas/resonators is an established field of research. However, until now, reconfiguration using living cells (bacterial or mammalian) has never been considered. In this study, a bio-hybrid implant antenna reconfigured by engineered bacteria or muscle tissue and a pair of on-body reader antennas, that monitors the bio-hybrid device (AntennAlive), is proposed. AntennAlive will enable gateways between living cells that communicate at the nanoscale and the electronic devices that operate at the human scale. It will be used to transform signals received from the living cells through Molecular Nano Communication Networks (MNCN) to Body Area Networks (BAN) that will be used to transfer information to machines and/or humans.