Telesensor integrated circuits

Progress in personal computing has recently permitted small research progra ms to design and simulate application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Inexpensive fabrication of silicon chips can then be obtained using chip f oundries, and quite complex circuits can be greatly reduced in size with an accompanying increase in certain performance characteristics. Within the p ast 5 years it has also become possible to design ASICs which can transmit and receive radio signals and which thus may be employed in applications in which wired connections for input and output of signals are not practicabl e. We are currently developing research-grade prototype ASICs for the monit oring of human vital signs. In this case one or more sensors placed on an A SIC provides a signal to be transmitted a distance of 2-3 meters to a recei ver/display unit. The use of ASIC telesensors provides the possibility of w ireless monitoring, including long-term monitoring, with inexpensive and un encumbering devices. Their self-contained nature permits a number of potent ial uses in future biomedical applications as new sensors are devised which are amenable to deployment on silicon.