Scientists Replace Metal Collimators with Plastic Analogs

Scientists have developed plastic collimators that can replace their metal analogs used in radiation therapy. The team focused on the exact characteristics of the desired product, its...

Implants: Protective Membrane Reduces Tissue Buildup

Scientists have developed a special protective membrane made of cellulose that significantly reduces the buildup of fibrotic tissue around cardiac pacemaker implants, as reported in a recent...

Implantable Bioartificial Kidney Achieves Preclinical Milestone

Scientists successfully implanted a prototype kidney bioreactor containing functional human kidney cells in large animals without significant safety concerns. The device, which is...

How to Protect Patients from Potential Electrical Failure

People and power don’t mix well, and this is particularly true when people are medical patients. Aside from the more usual environment of a medical facility, patients are also...

The Future of Connected Health

The three main global goals of healthcare continue to be: improving the quality of care, universal access to care, and keeping costs under control. Technologies and remote connected healthcare are touted as the...

Making a Great Cardio Product Even Better: The Next-Generation Zio Heart Patch

Nearly half of all adults in the United States have some type of cardiovascular disease. This group of over 121 million people are often diagnosed with potential...

New Products and Services

External PSUs XP Power, Tokyo, Japan, has released two series of external power supplies that are intended for modern medical applications, including safety approvals for home-based healthcare, and IT applications...

Double-Sided Tape for Tissues Could Replace Surgical Sutures

Inspired by a sticky substance that spiders use to catch their prey, MIT engineers have designed a double-sided tape that can rapidly seal tissues together.

From the Editor — Building an Improved Network for Connected Medical Devices

AT&T is building up its FirstNet network, while also rolling out 5G New Radio — both of which are part of the future of connected of healthcare. FirstNet is a...

Good Design Controls Are Critical to Avoiding FDA Issues

Medical device companies recognize that having an emphasis on design controls helps to assure good design and engineering practices that yield high-quality solutions. This is critical...

Product Focus: Motors & Motion Control

Voice Coil Motor Moticont, Van Nuys, CA, has added a new high force voice coil motor to its GVCM family of voice coil motors with an internal shaft and bearing. The new GVCM-095-089-03 linear voice coil...

Embedding Artificial Muscles into Soft Materials

Stretchable skin-like robots that can be rolled up and put in your pocket have been developed by a team using a new way of embedding artificial muscles and electrical adhesion into soft...

Product of the Month

Flexible Printed Circuit Trackwise, Tewkesbury, UK, offers advanced flexible printed circuits (FPCs) that are ideal for catheter construction. The FPCs can be fed inside a catheter without introducing bulges. They also...

Gibraltar Laboratories Changes Name to Nelson Labs Fairfield

Gibraltar Laboratories will officially become Nelson Labs January 3, 2020. Nelson began implementing changes to facilitate the integration of the Gibraltar labs facilities in...

Adding Copper Strengthens 3D Printed Titanium

Successful trials of titanium-copper alloys for 3D printing could kickstart a new range of high-performance alloys for medical device and other applications.

Machine Learning, Imaging Technique May Boost Colon Cancer Diagnosis

Researchers are developing a new imaging technique that can provide accurate, real-time, computer-aided diagnosis of colorectal cancer. Using deep learning, a type of...

Continuous Monitoring Necessary to Reduce Risk in Medtech AI

Artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) are increasingly transforming the healthcare sector. From spotting malignant tumors to reading CT scans and mammograms,...

Vote for Medical Design Briefs Annual Readers’ Choice Awards

Each month, 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.

New Coating Prevents Infection in Synthetic Vascular Grafts

A new coating prevents clotting and infection in synthetic vascular grafts, while also accelerating the body’s own process for integrating the grafted vessels. Variants of the...

Battery-Free Computer Input Could Be Added to Surgical Gloves

Computer scientists have created a device for wearable computer input suitable for many situations, just by touching your fingertips together in different ways. The device,...

Stretchable and Flexible Biofuel Cell Runs on Sweat

A unique new flexible and stretchable device, worn against the skin and capable of producing electrical energy by transforming the compounds present in sweat, has been developed and patented...

Soft Wearable Health Monitor Uses Stretchable Electronics

A wireless, wearable monitor built with stretchable electronics could allow comfortable, long-term health monitoring of adults, babies, and small children without concern for skin...

Producing Better Guides for Medical-Image Analysis

MIT researchers have devised a method that accelerates the process for creating and customizing templates used in medical-image analysis, to guide disease diagnosis.

From the Editor — Most Medical Device OEMs Not Ready to Comply with 2020 EU Regulation

Under new rules to market medical devices in the European Union (EU), only 27 percent of respondents said they will be fully compliant with the regulations...

New Silk Materials Can Wrinkle into Detailed Patterns, Then Unwrinkle to Be “Reprinted”

Researchers at Tufts University School of Engineering have developed silk materials that can wrinkle into highly detailed patterns — including words,...

Microneedle Biosensors Accurately Detect Patient Antibiotic Levels in Real Time

Small, non-invasive patches worn on the skin can accurately detect the levels of medication in a patient’s system, matching the accuracy of current clinical...

Prototype Smartphone App Can Help Parents Detect Early Signs of Eye Disorders in Children

A Baylor University researcher’s prototype smartphone app — designed to help parents detect early signs of various eye diseases in their children such...

Using 24 GHz Doppler Radar Sensors for Noncontact Human Vitals Detection

Health and wellness monitoring is a primary way to manage personal health and awareness for a healthy lifestyle. Many wearable activity tracking devices, smart watches,...

Artificial Skin Creates Ticklish Devices

A new interface takes touch technology to the next level by providing an artificial skin-like membrane for augmenting interactive devices such as phones, wearables, or computers.