Key takeaways
- This joint webinar features Greg Bruce, Senior Director of R&D at Resonetics Medical Power, and Dr. Grayson Zulauf, CEO and co-founder of Resonant Link, covering battery technology and wireless charging for active implantable medical devices.
- Resonetics has been in the implantable battery business since 2000 and implanted the first lithium-ion cell in 2004; lithium-ion and lithium carbon monofluoride are now the dominant chemistries, while medical battery improvements are evolutionary (roughly 3 to 5 percent annually) rather than revolutionary.
- Resonetics’ off-the-shelf Contigo battery line spans a wide range of capacities and sizes, from as small as 0.8 cc (Contigo 3) up to 440 mAh cells, with all cells built under ISO 13485 quality systems, full traceability, and built-in safety features like shutdown separators that operate without external safety components.
- Resonant Link’s core innovation is a high-quality-factor coil technology enabling more efficient wireless charging (5 to 10 times lower losses than standard litz or magnet wire), supporting applications from passive recharging to continuous wireless power delivery, with a flagship platform offering a 21-minute recharge for devices in titanium cans, such as cardiac and neurostimulation devices.
- Both speakers emphasized rigorous safety engineering: Resonetics noted that implantable cell safety improves as cell size decreases, and Resonant Link confirmed its systems are designed to stay below FDA-defined SAR and tissue-heating limits across various implant depths, power levels (from milliwatts to tens of watts), and use cases including ventricular assist devices.
