Georgia Tech researchers developed SWANS, the Smart Wireless Autonomous Networking System, to link a wearable hub with implants using electrical pulses conducted through body tissue. The study, published in Science on September 24, 2026, described experiments in tissue samples and rats, not human trials.
A network that sends signals through body tissue
SWANS uses the tissue’s ionic conductivity: charged particles carry electrical pulses through the body between the wearable hub and implants. The tissue conducts the signals; nerves are not the communication pathway.
That approach connects devices placed in different locations. In the intended setup, sensors detect a signal and implants can receive a trigger to activate an actuator. The reported experiments involved tissue samples and rats.
How the wearable hub addresses implants
A microneedle patch delivers pulses from the wearable hub through the outer layer of skin. The hub reads sensor data, runs decision algorithms and sends pulses of up to 12 volts. The implants respond to selected combinations of pulse voltage and duration, with circuit components tuned to recognize those signals.
The described implant configuration includes two receiving pads, a transistor switch, a battery, and either a sensor or an actuator. The hub handles the more demanding data processing; implants are intended to receive small signals and triggers.
What the tissue and rat demonstrations showed
In one tissue experiment, a single 10-volt pulse produced a detectable voltage gradient more than 30 centimeters across the tissue and up to 14 centimeters deep. Those measurements describe that test, not a general communication range.
In rats, motion sensors on the forelimbs triggered stimulation of the corresponding hind-leg sciatic nerve, producing a twitch. A separate demonstration relayed a temperature reading between implants and triggered a response when the reading exceeded 40°C (104°F).
Small signals, preclinical evidence
The described complete, battery-powered implant measured 3 × 1.1 × 17 millimeters and fit through a 6-gauge needle. In a two-month rat study, the reported tests found no pulse-related changes in heart electrical activity and no additional cell death or oxidative stress compared with non-electrified controls. These were observations in rats.
