"By enabling manufacturers of EAS systems and medical devices to work together, the center reduces adversarial roles and minimizes problems before they occur," said Jimmy Woody, who spearheaded the establishment of the Center and served as its manager through 2001.

Although the center initially tested pacemakers and defibrillators, today it conducts research on a variety of medical devices including implantable hearing devices, drug-infusion pumps, neurostimulators, cardiac monitors and glucose monitors. And because today's patients may use more than one medical device, the center has been evaluating possible interactions between different types of devices, such as bone-healing stimulators and implanted cardiac devices.


Most recently, the center has been investigating new types of security and logistics systems that could be potential emission threats to medical devices. For example, more companies are using radio frequency identification (RFID) systems for inventory control. Right now these devices typically are found on warehouse and shipping containers. Yet as costs decline, RFID technology may soon show up in stores on individual products.
In response, GTRI is acquiring RFID systems, which will be set up and used with the center's EAS testing protocols.

"As RFID becomes ubiquitous, testing medical devices against RFID readers and active tags in all frequency ranges will be an essential growth area of the EAS/Medical Device E3 Test Center," said Gisele Bennett, director of GTRI's Electro-Optical Systems Lab (EOSL), which oversees the center.

Photo details:
Georgia Tech Photo: Gary Meek
GTRI Senior Research Engineer Ralph Herkert monitors the output of a pacemaker, which is mounted in a torso simulator in Georgia Tech's EAS/Medical Device E3 Test Center. The facility helps manufacturers improve compatibility between implantable medical devices and systems that radiate electromagnetic energy.

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