No More Lost Sponges: RFID to Optimize Surgical Suite Efficiency and Safety

Retained surgical items are not as rare as many believe. These mistakes are a small but critical piece of the larger challenges of managing the availability and use of a wide range of surgical instruments and other items. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology has emerged as one of the most effective tools for solving these challenges. Read on to learn how.

Designing Resilient LSR Supply Chains Through Vertical Integration

As devices grow smaller, smarter, and more user-centered, materials like liquid silicone rubber (LSR) play a bigger role in enabling performance, comfort, and compliance. From implantables to connected wearables, LSR is helping engineers meet growing design and usability demands. Read on to learn more.

Genetic Testing Device Detects Rare Mutations

Researchers have developed a portable device capable of detecting rare genetic mutations from a single drop of blood. The instrument was shown in lab experiments to quickly and accurately test for a genetic condition called hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis, which can cause heart problems. Read on to learn more.

Bioimaging Device Holds Promise for Eye, Heart Conditions

A new bioimaging device can operate with significantly lower power and in an entirely non-mechanical way. It could one day improve detecting eye and even heart conditions. The device uses a process called electrowetting to change the surface shape of a liquid to perform optical functions. Read on to learn more.

Conductive Polymer Improves Sensor-Based Devices

Scientists have produced a new, powerful electricity-conducting material that could improve wearable technologies, including medical devices. The new technique uses hyaluronic acid applied directly to a gold-plated surface to create a thinner, more durable film, or polymer, used to conduct electricity in devices like biosensors. Read on to learn more.

Smart Wound Monitor Poised to Improve Chronic Infection Care

Researchers have developed a wearable wound monitoring device with integrated sensors that could reduce infection risks by minimizing the need for frequent physical contact. The proof-of-concept device is designed for reuse, making it more cost-effective and practical than disposable smart bandages and other emerging wound monitoring technologies. Read on to learn more.

LED-Based Imaging System Could Transform Cancer Detection

Researchers have developed a prototype imaging system that could significantly improve doctors’ ability to detect cancerous tissue during endoscopic procedures. This approach combines light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with hyperspectral imaging technology to create detailed maps of tissue properties that are invisible to conventional endoscopic cameras. Read on to learn more.

Paper-Based Devices Diagnose Malaria in Asymptomatic People

Devices made with cheap strips of paper have outperformed two other testing methods in detecting malaria infection in asymptomatic people in Ghana — a diagnostic advance that could accelerate efforts to eliminate the disease, researchers say. Read on to learn more.

MD&M Midwest 2025, an MD&M Event

Returning to the Minneapolis Convention Center this October, MD&M Midwest 2025 is where the region’s medtech leaders gather to explore, collaborate, and solve the toughest engineering challenges in medical device development. Read on to learn more about it.

From the Editor: Rebuilding Trust in Medical Devices

A recent report from MasterControl delivers a sobering statistic: more than 8 in 10 physicians (82 percent) have questioned the quality or safety of the medical products they prescribe. For medical device engineers and designers, that figure should be a wake-up call. Read on to learn what Editor and Director of Medical Content Sherrie Trigg thinks about the matter.

Shaping the Future: Honoring the Next Generation of Women Leaders in Medtech - Debbie Teodorescu

The 2025 Medical Rising Star Award recognizes Dr. Debbie Teodorescu, a physician-engineer whose career bridges patient care and technology development. Read on for a full interview with her.

The Power of the Plasma Pen

Plasma pens integrated into production lines provide targeted plasma treatments that reduce failure rates by improving adhesion and bonding in various critical applications. Read on to learn more about their powers.

2025 Rising Star Awards Winners

SAE Media Group’s Women in Engineering: Rising Star Awards program shines the spotlight on trailblazers who not only excel in their respective domains but also stroke the flames of inspiration in others. This year’s awards program features six categories: Aerospace/Defense, Automotive/Transportation, Electronics, Manufacturing/Materials, Medical, and Robotics, Automation and AI. In this special section, you’ll meet the winners in all six categories.

Regulatory

What consumer technology device became the first FDA-approved over-the-counter (OTC) assistive hearing device for adults with mild to moderate hearing loss?

Osaka Prefecture Advances Regenerative Medicine with Future Medical Information Dissemination Project

Osaka Prefecture is moving forward with a large-scale initiative to accelerate regenerative medicine and drug discovery through...

Balancing Miniaturization, Power, and Compliance in Sensor Design

In this Q&A with Medical Design Briefs, Michael Klitzke, principal system architect at TE Connectivity, discusses how advances in sensor miniaturization, packaging,...

Magnetoelastic Smart Pen May Help Diagnose Parkinson’s

A smart, self-powered magnetoelastic pen could help detect early signs of Parkinson’s by analyzing a person’s handwriting. The highly sensitive diagnostic pen features a soft,...

How Digital Twins Could Lead to Better GI Function

Kennesaw State University’s Lei Shi is leading a research project that could alter how GI disorders are diagnosed and treated using virtual replicas of a human stomach.

Precision Drug Delivery with Magnetic Steering, Light-Triggered Release

Researchers have demonstrated that microscopic drug-delivery containers can be magnetically steered to their targets, advancing the development of precision medicine...

Microrobots Navigate Complex Biological Environments

Fabricated with a gel side for carrying drugs and a magnetic side for steering, researchers have developed microrobots that can navigate complex biological environments like intestines....

Zinc Detected in Clogged Syringes

Researchers have found that, in rare cases, zinc from the needle shield can leach into the drug solution to be injected and possibly contribute to syringe clogging. They were asked by the pharmaceutical...

Painless Diabetes Care: Smarter Drug Delivery

A wearable technology enables real-time, noninvasive tracking and optimized treatment for diabetic patients. It enables precise drug dosing through continuous, real-time monitoring of disease...

Drug-Delivery System Tackles Lupus

A new system sends medication directly to the spleen where certain immune cells cause the disease known as lupus, or Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

AI Model Can Predict Cardiac Arrest Better than Doctors

A new AI model is much better than doctors at identifying patients likely to experience cardiac arrest. The linchpin is the system's ability to analyze long-underused heart imaging, alongside a full spectrum of medical records, to reveal previously hidden information about a patient's heart health.