Optical Wireless Communications for In-Body and Transdermal Biomedical Applications

This article discusses the fundamental architectures for optical-wireless-systems biomedical-ap-plications. After summarizing main applications and reporting their requirements, we describe characteristics of transdermal in-body optical channels (OCs) as well challenges that they impose in design communication systems. Specifically, provide three possible communications, namely electro-optical monitoring, opto-electrical, all-optical (AO), neural stimulation, which are currently under investigation, whereas a nano-scale AO concept. For each architecture, discuss operation principles, technology enablers, research directions development. Finally, highlight necessity designing an infor-mation-theoretic framework analysis physical medium access control layers, takes into account channels' characteristics.