A Near-Field-Sensing Transceiver for Intrabody Communication Based on the Electrooptic Effect

Abstract

This paper describes a near-field-sensing transceiver for intrabody communication, in which the human body is the transmission medium. The key component of the transceiver is an electric-field sensor implemented with an electrooptic crystal and laser light. This sensor is suitable for detection of the small and unstable electric fields produced by the human body because it has extremely high input impedance. This transceiver enables IEEE 802.3 half-duplex communication of 10 Mb/s through a person's body in an operating range of about 150 cm between the hands. The packet error rate of 0.04% is obtained at packet size of 1070 octet. This paper explains the configuration and performance of the transceiver and presents results of a communication test.