News
Researchers Helping to Validate Spintronics
Posted in Electronics, Medical, News, MDB on
Wednesday, May 22 2013
Scientists at the University
of Delaware, Newark, say that they have confirmed the presence of a magnetic
field generated by electrons, which scientists had theorized existed, but had
never been proven until now. This finding, they say, could help to lay the
groundwork for electronics of the future. Their finding expands the potential
for harnessing the "spin" or magnetic properties of electrons, which
adds a fundamental new building block to the pioneering field of spintronics.
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Great Future Foreseen for Wireless Body Sensors
Posted in Sensors, Medical, Patient Monitoring, Diagnostics, News, MDB on
Tuesday, May 21 2013
According
to a recent report from ABI Research, a market intelligence company specializing in
global technology markets, while the market for disposable
wireless Medical Body Area Network (MBAN) sensors within professional
healthcare is in its earliest stages, the foundations to support adoption are
now in place. They also report that there is a tremendous potential for
adoption. So much so that by 2018, they predict that nearly 5 million
disposable sensors will be shipped even though the sensors will have still
barely penetrated the addressable market.
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Making the Most of Outsourcing
Posted in Medical, Diagnostics, News, MDB on
Tuesday, May 21 2013
When it comes to outsourcing many
complex professional services, this type of work should not be viewed as a mere
commodity, say researchers at Harvard Business School, reporting in the journal, Organization Science. Instead, they say, cultivating
important person-to-person relationships with the vendor of outsourced services
can improve efficiency and even the quality of services delivered, especially in
health care, where outsourcing is on the rise.
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US Will Soon Match China on Manufacturing Costs
Posted in Manufacturing & Prototyping, Medical, News, MDB on
Tuesday, May 21 2013
According to a report by AlixPartners, a business
advisory firm, America is becoming more competitive in terms of manufacturing and
will match China on the cost of manufacturing within two years. Their
research reveals that, according to current trends such as wage inflation in
China and exchange rates that impact total costs of bringing a product to its
point-of-sale, the United States is on track to achieve cost parity with China
as a base for manufacturing operations by the year 2015.
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Portable Device to Rapidly Diagnose TB
Posted in Medical, Diagnostics, News, MDB on
Monday, May 20 2013
A
handheld diagnostic device that researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital,
Boston, first developed to diagnose cancer has been adapted to rapidly diagnose
tuberculosis (TB) and other important infectious bacteria. The
portable device combines microfluidic technology with nuclear magnetic
resonance (NMR) to not only diagnose these important infections but also
determine the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.
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More Accurate Way to Image Lung Cancer Tumors
Posted in Imaging, Medical, Diagnostics, News, MDB on
Friday, May 17 2013
The Moffitt Cancer Center and
the University of South Florida, both in Tampa, have collaborated with
researchers in China, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany to develop
a new computational method to assess lung cancer tumors using CT, PET, or MRI
diagnostic technologies. The method, called single click ensemble segmentation
(SCES), uses a new computer algorithm they developed to help segment and extract
features of a tumor. This new approach not only improves diagnosis and
prognosis assessments, but also saves time and health care dollars.
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Standardizing Measurements for MEMS
Posted in Medical, MEMs, News, MDB on
Thursday, May 16 2013
The
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has introduced a
long-awaited measurement tool to help device designers, manufacturers, and
customers to see eye to eye on eight dimensional and material property
measurements that are key to device performance.MEMS, once
considered a stepchild of the semiconductor industry, have branched out into a
wide range of applications, especially in consumer electronics, and are also important
components of lab-on-a-chip diagnostic systems, displays, and implantable
medical devices.
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May Mid-Month Industry News
Posted in News, MDB on
Wednesday, May 15 2013
Here is the latest batch of news from
the medical products community. Please click the link for more.
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Surgical Robot Influenced by Tree Frog
Posted in Surgical Robotics/Instruments, Medical, News, MDB on
Tuesday, May 14 2013
Researchers at the
University of Leeds in the UK are using the feet of tree frogs as the
inspiration for a tiny robot designed to crawl inside patients’ bodies during laparoscopic
surgery. The tiny device is designed to move across the internal abdominal wall
of a patient, allowing surgeons to see what they are doing on a real-time video
feed.
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Robotics Gain Insight from Seahorse Design
Posted in Joining & Assembly, Surgical Robotics/Instruments, Medical, Robotics, News, MDB on
Monday, May 13 2013
Inspired
by the tail of a seahorse, which can be compressed to half its size without
damage, scientists at the University of California, San Diego, are attempting
to use similar engineering to create a flexible robotic gripper arm equipped
with polymer muscles that could be used in medical devices. Led by materials
science professors, they say that the study of natural materials can lead to
the creation of new and unique materials and structures that are stronger, tougher,
lighter and more flexible.
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Wireless Removable Tooth Tattoo Senses Health
Posted in Sensors, Medical, Patient Monitoring, Diagnostics, News, MDB on
Friday, May 10 2013
Scientists
at Princeton University in New Jersey used silk strands and tiny gold wires
bundled with graphene to create a removable tattoo that adheres to dental
enamel and could eventually be used to monitor a patient’s health with
unprecedented sensitivity.
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Developing Sensors to Assess Blast Effects on Soldiers
Posted in Sensors, Detectors, Medical, News, MDB on
Thursday, May 09 2013
There are two parts
to a blast created by an improvised explosive device: a shock wave traveling at supersonic speed, and compressed air,
which travels in front of the shock wave. Both can cause considerable damage to
the human body, but the exact effects are unclear. To prevent injuries to soldiers and provide better care to
those who are injured, the U.S. military wants to understand how
blasts impact the human body. So it is working with
the Georgia Tech Research Institute to develop a system that measures
the physical environment of an explosion and collects data that can be used to
correlate what the soldier experienced with long-term medical outcomes,
especially traumatic brain injury.
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Is Zinc Right for Bioabsorbable Stents?
Posted in Materials, Metals, Implants & Prosthetics, Medical, News, MDB on
Wednesday, May 08 2013
Once implanted, coronary
artery stents to prop open blood vessels usually remain in place for the rest
of the patient’s life. The longer a stent is in place, the greater the risk of
late-stage side effects. That's why researchers are trying to develop a
bioabsorbable stent, one that will gradually and harmlessly dissolve after the
blood vessel is healed.
Studies have investigated iron stents, which can rust,
and magnesium-based stents, which dissolve too quickly. So, researchers at Michigan Technological University,
Houghton, are trying something different—zinc.
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Studying Silicone Could Lead to Self-Healing Materials
Posted in Materials, Composites, Medical, News, MDB on
Tuesday, May 07 2013
Polymer scientists at Rice University,
Houston, TX, discovered that the liquid crystal phase of silicone, which is
partway between a solid and a liquid, becomes up to 90 percent stiffer when repeatedly
compressed. Their research could lead to new strategies for self-healing
materials or biocompatible materials that mimic human tissues, they say.
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Preventing Shoulder Injuries in Baseball Pitchers
Posted in Sensors, Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy, Medical, Patient Monitoring, News, MDB on
Monday, May 06 2013
A new 3-D motion detection
system could help identify baseball pitchers who are at risk for shoulder injuries,
according to a new study by scientists at the Loyola University Medical Center,
Maywood, IL. The laptop computer-based system can be used right on the field.
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Orthotic & Prosthetic Companies to Aid Boston Marathon Attack Victims
Posted in Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy, Implants & Prosthetics, Medical, News, MDB on
Friday, May 03 2013
The American Orthotic & Prosthetic
Association (AOPA) launched its "Coalition to Walk and Run Again," an
effort to aid uninsured and under-insured victims of the April 15th Boston
Marathon terror attack. The bombing killed 3 people and left more than 200
injured, several of whom lost portions of their legs as a result. Those
who have or are undergoing amputations will be provided major assistance with
the cost of their initial prostheses and related care, the group stated at a telephone
press conference on April 30.
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Medwatcher App: Keeping Eyes on Devices
Posted in FDA Compliance/Regulatory Affairs, Medical, News, MDB on
Thursday, May 02 2013
MedWatcher
is a mobile app available from the iTunes Store or Google Play Store that
allows individuals to submit voluntary reports of serious medical device
problems to the FDA using a smart phone or tablet. The app makes it easier and
faster for healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers to send voluntary
reports of medical device problems to the FDA, compared to the traditional
reporting methods, such as mail, phone, or online.
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Finding and Fixing Software Bugs in Surgical Robots
Posted in Software, Mathematical/Scientific Software, Surgical Robotics/Instruments, Medical, News, MDB on
Wednesday, May 01 2013
Surgical robots could make some types of surgery safer and
more effective, but proving that the software controlling these machines works
as intended is problematic. So say researchers at Carnegie Mellon University,
Pittsburgh, PA, and the Johns Hopkins University
Applied Physics Laboratory, Baltimore, MD, who have demonstrated that methods
for reliably detecting software bugs and ultimately verifying software safety
can successfully be applied to these robots.
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From the Editor: May
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Posted in Medical, News, MDB on
Wednesday, May 01 2013
A Tale of Three Patients
In the same week in late March, three friends/family of mine entered three different hospitals in three different states. Their illnesses were very different and had varied results.Read More >>
April Month-End Industry News
Posted in Medical, News, MDB on
Tuesday, April 30 2013
Here is the latest batch of news from
the medical products community. Please click the link for more.
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Tiny Surgical Tools to Perform Biopsies
Posted in Surgical Robotics/Instruments, Medical, Diagnostics, News, MDB on
Monday, April 29 2013
Using
hundreds of untethered grippers, each as small as a dust mote, engineers and
physicians at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, say they have devised a method
to perform biopsies that could provide a more effective way to access narrow
conduits in the body as well as find early signs of cancer or other diseases.
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Pine Cones Inspire Self-Shaping Material
Posted in Materials, Coatings & Adhesives, Composites, Metals, Medical, News, MDB on
Friday, April 26 2013
Material scientists from ETH Zurich (the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology Zurich), who say that they were inspired by plant
components like pine cones that respond to external stimuli, have developed a
new means of producing composite materials from a variety of materials that
adopt a pre-programmed shape autonomously.
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Sensor Collects Vitals, Makes E-Health Easier
Posted in Sensors, Medical, Patient Monitoring, News, MDB on
Thursday, April 25 2013
A tiny, paper-thin
skin patch to collect vital information, called the Bio-patch sensor, has been
developed by researchers at Stockholm's KTH Royal Institute of Technology. It
is inexpensive, versatile, and comfortable to wear.
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Rise of ‘Microrockets’ and ‘Micromotors’
Posted in Materials, Metals, Motors & Drives, Fluid Handling, Medical, Drug Delivery & Fluid Handling, News, MDB on
Wednesday, April 24 2013
At the 245th
National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, in New
Orleans, scientists from the University of California, San Diego, described
their advances in micromotor technology that, they say, could open the door to
broad new medical uses.
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More Sensitive Touch for Robot Hands
Posted in Sensors, Surgical Robotics/Instruments, Medical, Drug Delivery & Fluid Handling, News, MDB on
Tuesday, April 23 2013
Researchers
at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), Cambridge,
MA, have developed an inexpensive tactile sensor for robotic hands that is
sensitive enough to enable a machine to handle objects with sensitivity and
dexterity.
Designed
by researchers in the Harvard Biorobotics Laboratory, the sensor, called
TakkTile, is intended to put what would normally be a high-end technology
within the grasp of commercial inventors, teachers, and robotics enthusiasts.
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