EaglePicher claims "world's smallest" implantable battery

We've just about had our fill of "world's smallest" gizmos this week, but when it comes to a new development in the battery realm, we certainly won't complain with delivering power in a less burdensome manner. Vancouver's own EaglePicher Medical Power has recently announced plans to unveil the "industry's smallest implantable-grade medical battery," which comes in at a mere .26-inches long and .09-inches in diameter. Unsurprisingly, the primary application is to handle tasks inside your body, such as deploying it via a "minimally-invasive catheter procedure" rather than implanting it through surgery. The aptly-named Micro Battery is based around a proprietary cell construction designed by the company, and while we're always weary of such lofty claims to a product that hasn't hit commercialization yet, it can purportedly provide power for "more than 15 years." Just make sure you pencil in a changeout date about a decade from now if this thing ends up connected to your future pacemaker, cool? [Warning: PDF read link]

[Via MedGadget]

[JoshLowry @ Mar 18th 2007 2:10AM]

World's smallest battery and no pics next to a penny?

Claim not yet validated!



- Josh

Where's your head at? - http://www.StateOfBrain.com

[Clay Braziller @ Mar 19th 2007 5:43PM]

Josh so true, every time someone makes this claim it is always next to a penny. Check the link out we decided to try something different.
http://www.eaglepicher.com/EaglePicherInternet/Companies/EaglePicher+Medical+Power/ContactUs.htm

Clay

[Ben @ Mar 18th 2007 3:41AM]

15 years of battery life? Can I get one for my iPod?

[Sinbios @ Mar 18th 2007 5:58AM]

That's 15 years for applications that draw a hundred thousandth of the iPod's power draw. Surprise! Batteries don't last the same time when you stick them in something else.

[adrian @ Mar 18th 2007 4:16AM]

^ The iPod flea can finally be made!

[strider_mt2k @ Mar 18th 2007 7:42AM]

Go "medically implant" your iPod.

[Nick @ Mar 18th 2007 1:25PM]

"minimally-invasive catheter procedure" rather than implanting it through surgery
I think that's still surgery..

Ben:
The battery in my watch is rated for 10 years. Like what Sinbios said.

[Ben @ Mar 18th 2007 1:58PM]

Yeah, I really am not that stupid. I know the difference between the power draw of an iPod and.... well I am not sure what this would power. Pacemaker seems like it would need alot of power.

Nick:
My watch doesn't have a battery.

[Nick @ Mar 18th 2007 8:44PM]

Ben:
just FYI, from http://ulp.zarlink.com/how_low.htm :

"A modern pacemaker consumes between 10 and 40 microwatts from its internal cell. Taken together, one million pacemakers consume less than half the power of a common 40-Watt household incandescent light bulb. Pacemakers remain implanted, regulating the patient’s cardiac rhythm, 24 hours a day, seven days per week, for seven years or more on a single pacemaker power source."

[Ben @ Mar 18th 2007 11:17PM]

Hmm, I would have thought a pacemaker need more power than that.
Maybe what a pacemaker does and what I think it does are not the same.