Computational Modeling of Electromagnetic and Thermal Effects for a Dual-Unit Retinal Prosthesis: Inductive Telemetry, Temperature Increase, and Current Densities in the Retina - Artificial Sight: Basic Research, Biomedical Engineering, and Clinical Advances - page 284

Figure 15.3. An example of internal and external coil geometries for a dual-unit retinal
prosthesis.

be removed completely, measures can be taken to minimize the heat due to a
biomimetic device such as the retinal prosthesis.

Bio-Heat Equation Formulation
In general, the temperature variation in a generic body can be described by a
partial differential equation (PDE) of conduction, given by C T t = · KT ± S,

where C is the specific heat J

kg C is the mass density of the material
k m 3 Kis the thermal conductivity

ms C Tis the temperature C, and S

J

is a heat source (positive) or sink (negative) m 3 . To adapt this equation to the
tissues in the human body and the regulating action of blood, Pennes incorporated
terms to describe the warming effect of the basal metabolism and the regulatory