Researchers examine medical RF interference
The team is working to develop a test procedure to evaluate medical products' immunity to RF signals.
Martin Rowe, Senior Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 11/1/2009 1:00:00 AM
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A research team at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) has begun to study the effects that RFID devices may have on medical electronics. The team, headed by Ralph Herkert, director of GTRI’s Medical Device Test Center, is working to develop a test procedure that manufacturers of paramedical devices and medical equipment can use to evaluate their products’ immunity to RF signals (Ref. 1).
RFID technology, currently used for inventory control, has potential applications in hospitals and health-care facilities, where it can help staff members track medical supplies, equipment, and even patients. But the widespread introduction of RFID devices can lead to RF immunity problems in medical equipment.
RFID technology uses pulsed RF signals that range in frequency from hundreds of kilohertz to several gigahertz, and interference can occur at any frequency. “For implantable devices, the lower frequencies can be an issue,” said Herkert in an interview. “Implantable devices have to detect some bodily function, maybe a cardiac device. So, they need pass bands that the signals that they’re trying to detect can get through.”
Although manufacturers of RFID devices test their products for electromagnetic emissions, no standard protocol for performing these tests currently exists—a void that the GTRI research team hopes to fill. The project for developing a test procedure is still in its early stages, but Herkert envisions initial tests will be performed in an environment that simulates the device’s actual environment rather than in a test chamber. Ultimately, Herkert wants to use instrumentation to simulate RFID signals, thus providing repeatable tests.
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