Recently, an online discussion board broached the subject of FDA approval for a diagnostic app that might be able to predict when a patient’s condition would relapse. The question postulated whether there was a way to circumvent FDA approval by launching the app in another country and making it available online. And, if...

A tiny mechanical wrist from a team of engineers and doctors at Vanderbilt University’s Medical Engineering and Discovery Laboratory will be used on needle-sized surgical robots. The wrist is less than 1/16th of an inch (2 mm) thick.

University of Texas at Dallas researchers have made electrically conducting fibers that can be reversibly stretched to over 14 times their initial length. Electrical conductivity of the fibers increases 200-fold when stretched.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology designed a low-cost prosthetic knee that mimics normal walking motion. The MIT team's prototype generates a torque profile similar to that of able-bodied knees, using only simple mechanical elements like springs and dampers. The team is testing...

A strong, lightweight metal foam created by a North Carolina State University researcher absorbs the energy of high-impact collisions and effectively blocks X-rays, gamma rays, and neutron radiation. The device offers new shielding possibilities for use in CT scanners.

A new technology developed at Duke University uses metamaterials and compressive sensing to determine the direction of a sound and extract it from the surrounding background noise. Once miniaturized, the device could have applications in hearing aids, cochlear implants, and ultrasound medical sensors.

An implant built by Stanford University engineers produces light to stimulate nerves of the brain, spinal cord, or limbs in mice. The technology is powered wirelessly, using the mouse's own body to transfer energy. Scientists will use the new optogenetic nerve stimulation methods to investigate a...

Researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin produced inexpensive wearable patches that continuously monitor the body’s vital signs. Their repeatable, “cut-and-paste” method cuts manufacturing time from several days to only 20 minutes.

Inspired by a naturally occurring material found in marine mussels, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin have created a new flame retardant to replace toxic commercial additives. The engineers' use of synthetic polydopamaine could prove valuable for a number of health-related applications,...

Nerve damage is often permanent, and according to the Mayo clinic, regrowth of nerves is very rare. A 3D-printed guide built by University of Minnesota researchers regrows both the sensory and motor functions of complex nerves after injury.

Biomedical engineering researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have built software that allows powered prosthetics to tune themselves automatically. The development lowers costs and makes the devices more functionally useful.

Researchers at the University of Southern California and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have developed a brain prosthesis that is designed to help individuals suffering from memory loss. The prosthesis includes a small array of electrodes implanted into the brain.

VeloX, a prosthetic heart valve developed by National University of Singapore researchers, can be implanted through a small incision for the treatment of a serious heart valve disorder called mitral regurgitation. The device is particularly beneficial to patients who are of high surgical risk or are...

Here is the latest batch of news from the medical products community. Please click the link for more.

Inspired by both nature and biology, a Florida Atlantic University scientist has built a lifelike robotic finger. The design required shape memory alloy (SMA), a three-dimensional CAD model of a human finger, a 3D printer, and a unique thermal training technique.

On October 14, the FDA issued a draft guidance document to assist industry in designing evaluation strategies for, and reporting the results of, animal studies for medical devices. The studies utilized for the assessment of these devices typically provide initial evidence of device...

Researchers at the University of Montreal Hospital Research Centre (CRCHUM) have developed virtual models that can be used in angiography rooms to address aortic aneurysms and help medical professionals visualize the area being treated. To provide more personalized treatments, the new software...

New research from Penn Medicine infection control specialists found that ultraviolet (UV) robots helped reduce the rates of transmission of the common bacterial infection known as Clostridium difficile. The robots flash UV lights across a hospital room to lock onto DNA of organisms and kill them.

A new surface coating developed by researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences make steel stronger, safer, and more durable. The new anti-corrosive and anti-fouling surface material, made from rough nanoporous tungsten oxide, repels any kind of liquid, even after...

Here is the latest batch of news from the medical products community. Please click the link for more.

A plastic skin-like material created by Stanford University detects pressure and delivers a Morse code-like signal directly to a living brain cell. The development could add a sense of touch to prosthetic limbs.

Cornell University researchers have developed a lightweight, stretchable material that has potential for use in prosthetic body parts, artificial organs, and soft robotics. Air and liquid can be pumped through connected pores, allowing the material to change its length by up to 300 percent.

A stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) microscope currently being tested at the University of Michigan allows surgeons to quickly spot the difference between tumor tissue and normal brain tissue. Since June, the SRS microscope has imaged more than 60 patient samples from the operating room.