The application of electronics in biomedicine has long challenged APL’s electronic packaging technology. The figure
highlights just a few innovative electronic devices, instruments, and systems developed here: the rechargeable Heart
Pacer, which lasts a lifetime without battery replacement; the Human Tissue Stimulator, a high-performance computer
in a package volume <10 cm3—predating modern microprocessors; the Implantable Programmable Infusion Pump
(IPIP), which combines many novel packaging features; the externally worn, miniaturized Self-Injurious Behavior
Inhibiting System (SIBIS) for autistics; the Ingestible Pill that provides accurate core body temperature (Sen. John
Glenn used a commercial variant on his recent shuttle flight); the MRI Probe to detect plaque in veins and arteries;
the Infrared Integrated Indication System (IRIIS) for the blind; and the Dual-Energy X-Ray Scanner to measure bone
and muscle loss in space. These innovations have application far beyond their original biomedical uses. (Illustration
by Jacob Elbaz, Lori A. Hartman, and Kenneth R. Moscati.)