Significance: Active implants require batteries as power supply. Their lifetime is limited and may require a second surgical intervention for replacement. Intracorporal energy harvesting techniques generate power within the body and supply the implant. Solar cells below the skin can be used to harvest energy from light. Aim: To investigate the potential of subdermal solar energy harvesting. Approach: We evaluated global radiation data for defined time slots and calculated the output power of a subdermal solar module based on skin and solar cell characteristics. We assumed solar exposure profiles based on daily habits for an implanted solar cell. The output power was calculated for skin types VI and I/II. Results: We show that the yearly mean power in most locations on Earth is sufficient to power modern cardiac pacemakers if 10 min midday solar irradiation is assumed. All skin types are suitable for solar harvesting. Moreover, we provide a software tool to predict patient-specific output power. Conclusions: Subdermal solar energy harvesting is a viable alternative to primary batteries. The comparison to a human case study showed a good agreement of the results. The developed code is available open source to enable researchers to investigate further applications of subdermal solar harvesting.

中文翻译：

---

基于全球气象数据的医疗设备应用皮下太阳能收集的潜力

意义：有源植入物需要电池作为电源。它们的寿命有限，可能需要进行第二次手术干预以进行更换。体内能量收集技术在体内产生能量并为植入物供电。皮肤下的太阳能电池可用于从光中获取能量。目的：研究皮下太阳能收集的潜力。方法：我们评估了定义时隙的全球辐射数据，并根据皮肤和太​​阳能电池特性计算了皮下太阳能模块的输出功率。我们根据植入式太阳能电池的日常习惯假设了日照情况。输出功率是针对 VI 和 I/II 型皮肤计算的。结果：我们表明，如果假设正午太阳照射 10 分钟，地球上大多数地方的年平均功率足以为现代心脏起搏器供电。所有皮肤类型都适合太阳能收集。此外，我们提供了一个软件工具来预测患者特定的输出功率。结论：皮下太阳能收集是一次电池的可行替代方案。与人类案例研究的比较表明结果非常吻合。开发的代码是可用的开源代码，使研究人员能够研究皮下太阳能收集的进一步应用。与人类案例研究的比较表明结果非常吻合。开发的代码是可用的开源代码，使研究人员能够研究皮下太阳能收集的进一步应用。与人类案例研究的比较表明结果非常吻合。开发的代码是可用的开源代码，使研究人员能够研究皮下太阳能收集的进一步应用。