Autonomous Surgery: Engineering the Next Generation of Surgical Robots

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University recently demonstrated the Smart Tissue Autonomous Robot (STAR), completing eight consecutive gallbladder removal procedures on ex vivo tissue without human intervention. Medical Design Briefs spoke with Axel Krieger, PhD, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins and senior author of the study, about the system’s architecture, safeguards, and future applications.

The Promise and Challenge of On-Body Biosensors: A Perspective on Clinical Utility and Commercial Viability in Patient Management

On-body biosensors have crossed the threshold from technological novelty to clinical tool driving medical decisions. The most successful devices share common traits: They provide clinically actionable information, reliably measure rapidly changing biomarkers, account for confounding variables, and utilize established reimbursement pathways. Read on to learn more about them.

MEDevice Silicon Valley, an MD&M Event

Returning to the Santa Clara Convention Center this November, MEDevice Silicon Valley 2025 is where the world’s most forward-looking medtech professionals will gather to exchange ideas, explore new technologies, and accelerate product development. Read on to learn all about it.

Infant Wearable Uses Artificial Intelligence for At-Home Assessments

During the first two years of life, the motor development of children is monitored closely, as motion is the natural base for their other development and interaction with the environment. Current methods do not allow accurate developmental monitoring throughout early childhood. MAIJU (Motor Assessment of Infants with a Jumpsuit) is designed to solve these problems. Read on to learn more about it.

AI Detects Dizziness, Balance Disorders Remotely

Most current AI models are based on static datasets, limiting their adaptability and real-time diagnostic potential. To address this gap, researchers have developed a novel proof-of-concept deep learning model that leverages real-time data to assist in diagnosing nystagmus — a condition characterized by involuntary, rhythmic eye movements often linked to vestibular or neurological disorders. Read on to learn more.

3D Printed Smart Pen Helps Diagnose Parkinson’s

Researchers have developed a smart, self-powered magnetoelastic pen that could help detect early signs of Parkinson’s by analyzing a person’s handwriting. The highly sensitive diagnostic pen features a soft, silicon magnetoelastic tip and ferrofluid ink — a special liquid containing tiny magnetic particles. Read on to learn more about it.

Noninvasive Optical System for Skin Cancer Diagnosis

A noninvasive imaging system combines two advanced techniques to examine both the structure and chemical composition of skin cancers. This approach could improve how doctors diagnose and classify skin cancer and how they monitor treatment responses. Read on to learn more about it.

Self-Cleaning Sweat Sensors Offer Comfortable Monitoring

Researchers have developed novel ISM-based sweat sensors that feature enhanced signal stability and performance and avoid skin contact, while also being reusable, making them practical for daily use. Read on to learn more.

Technology Makes ‘Shape Memory’ Dental Aligners

Researchers are testing a new technology that incorporates shape memory material for clear plastic dental aligners, an alternative to traditional metal braces. The clear aligners still need to be improved to the point that there are two materials — clear aligners and metal braces — that are as good as each other. Read on to learn more.

Electrochemical Machining Redefines Knee Implant Manufacturing

Knee replacement implants must balance strength, wear resistance, and precision geometry to restore mobility and reduce pain for millions of patients worldwide. Yet one of the most challenging regions of the knee femoral component to manufacture is the intercondylar area — the central box that accommodates the cam mechanism. In March 2025, Extrude Hone introduced an alternative approach: electrochemical machining (ECM). Read on to learn more.

Micronewton Scale Biotribometer Research of Low Friction Aqueous Gels, Cells, and Tissues

Read on to learn all about tribometry research and what it entails.

Understanding Sensors for Medical Pump Technology

Medical pumps are at the heart of modern healthcare delivery. Their success depends on precise, reliable, and safe operation — capabilities enabled by advanced sensor technologies. From occlusion detection to bubble monitoring and temperature control, sensors provide the intelligence that allows pumps to perform with confidence in critical care environments. Read on to learn more.

Smart Patch Runs Tests Using Sweat Instead of Blood

A KAIST research team has developed a smart patch that can precisely observe internal changes through sweat when simply attached to the body. This is expected to greatly contribute to the advancement of chronic disease management and personalized healthcare technologies. Read on to learn more.

Metamaterial Could Transform Ingestible and Implantable Medical Devices

Researchers, led by Rice University’s Yong Lin Kong, have developed a soft but strong metamaterial that can be controlled remotely to rapidly transform its size and shape. The invention, published in Science Advances, represents a significant advancement that can potentially transform ingestible and implantable medical devices. Read on to learn more about it.

Ultrasound Helmet Enables Deep Brain Stimulation Without Surgery

The new technology features 256 elements configured within a special helmet to send focused beams of ultrasound to specific parts of the brain in order to turn neuronal activity up or down. It also includes a soft plastic face mask, which helps to target the ultrasound waves more precisely by keeping the head still. Read on to learn more about it.

New Products and Services

See the new products and services, including TechniQuip's solid-state fiber optic unit for multi-channel fluorescence microscopy and life science applications; PI's expanded piezo stack actuator series with the launch of encapsulated actuators; Turbo Fil's standalone, servocontrolled ceramic vial filler system; and more.

Product Focus: Assembly/Manufacturing Equipment

See where the product focus is this month: On assembly/manufacturing equipment, including Air Turbine Technology Inc.'s tools with cutting speeds of 60,000 and 80,000 RPM for Swiss lathes; Nordson EFD's jetting system designed for precision fluid applications in medical device assembly; Right-angle M12 connectors for through-hole reflow soldering are available from Phoenix Contact; and Sunnen Products Company's honing oil for precision machining and medical device manufacturing.

From the Editor: Steady Growth, Shifting Pressures in Medtech

The 2025 Pulse of the Medtech Industry report from EY offers a clear snapshot of where the medtech sector stands — and where it’s heading. The primary message is one of a mix of steady growth and mounting pressures. Read on to learn what Sherrie Trigg, Editor and Director of Medical Content, thinks about the situation.

3D Printed Diamond–Titanium Device Could Lead to Longer-Lasting Implants

RMIT researchers have created an experimental 3D printed diamond–titanium device that generates electricity from flowing liquid and receives wireless power through tissue making it possible to remotely sense changes in flow. Read on to learn more about it.

The Impact of Wearables on Healthcare

Listen to the new season of the Medical Design Briefs podcast. These four episodes focus on the impact of wearables on healthcare.

Innovators in Healthcare: Spotlight on the Medical Finalist

The 23rd annual Create the Future Design Contest for engineers, students, and entrepreneurs worldwide, sponsored by COMSOL, Inc., and Mouser Electronics, drew innovative product ideas from engineers and students from countries from around the world. The Medical category itself received many innovative entries from 21 countries; this article introduces its finalist.

AI in Medical Imaging: Diagnostic Challenges and Key Technology Considerations

AI in medical imaging means embracing a paradigm shift from manual, perception-focused interpretation to technology-enabled, data-augmented diagnosis. A balanced approach of high computation with federated learning and generative augmentation could offer tangible benefits. Read on to learn what this means.

Product of the Month

See the product of the month: Evonik's clinical-grade version of its recombinant collagen-like protein platform for medical device development. Read on to learn more about it.

New Material Extends Life of Orthopedic Implants

A pioneering liquid metal combination is shaping up as a potential secret weapon in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance and promises to outlast existing implant materials.

Wireless Light Pill Controls Gut Neurons

An ingestible device uses light to activate neurons in the gut, providing a new noninvasive way to study and potentially treat digestive and metabolic disorders. The technology, called ICOPS...

Automation, Robotics, and AI Integration in Medical Manufacturing

AI-driven quality control, predictive maintenance, and process optimization are improving efficiency and reducing costs in medical manufacturing.

Material Science Innovations for Medical Devices

New materials are enabling the production of medical devices that are stronger, more flexible, and more sustainable.

Pill-Sized Bioprinter Can Be Guided to Disease Site

Engineers have created the first ingestible bioprinter that can be guided to disease sites to print tissue within the body. Called MEDS (Magnetic Endoluminal Deposition System), the...

Navigating the Ebb and Flow of the Global Electronics Supply Chain

To better understand both the historical ebb and flow of electronics availability and the outlook for the years ahead, Medical Design Briefs spoke with Ross Valentine, Anal Dharamshi, and Srinivasan Kandaswamy, experts in supply chain and design engineering at Arrow Electronics and its subsidiary eInfochips. Read on for insights that highlight strategies medical OEMs can adopt to balance cost, resilience, and innovation in an increasingly complex supply environment.

Personalized Medicine and Drug Delivery

First Ascent’s platform enables pharmaceutical partners to test drug candidates against live cancer cells.

Cardiology

What medical device platform received FDA approval in November 2024 for treating paroxysmal atrial fibrillation using pulsed-field ablation?

Smarter Pathways for Precision Drug Delivery in Cancer Care

Targeted intra-arterial delivery platforms bathe cancer directly in therapy while limiting systemic toxicity.

2025 Product of the Year

Throughout the year, the editors of Medical Design Briefs choose a Product of the Month that has exceptional technical merit and practical value for MDB’s design engineering readers.