From Ventilators to Surgical Robotics: Bearing Design Considerations for Medical Devices

Selecting suitable bearings for medical devices is crucial in ensuring their reliability and performance. Factors such as material choice, lubrication, precision and noise levels, and protection from contamination should be carefully considered to meet the demanding requirements of the healthcare industry.

Mechatronic Integration for Precision Medical Device Linear Motion

See how ground ball screws are becoming a preferred choice for precise linear motion.

Microscale Superlubricity Improves Electromechanical Devices

Superlubricity — the state of ultra-low friction and wear — holds great promise for the reduction of frictional wear in mechanical and automatic devices.

Exoskeletons, Surgical Robotics Drive Advances in Motion System Technologies

New technologies are coming along every day that are designed to make an engineer's life easier when attempting to fulfill his or her motion control system needs. This...

An Overview of the Most Popular Rotary Motion Technologies

The ability to provide accurate rotary motion is critical in a wide range of applications in the automation equipment, medical device, machine tool, energy, welding, robotics,...

Freedom from Lubrication Ensures a Clear View

Slit lamp biomicrography is paramount to the practice of ophthalmology, allowing for an inside look at various areas of the eye with a range of magnification levels and light sources. The...

Reservoir Seals, Tubing, and LSR Make the Difference for Medical Devices

Medical science has made great strides in advancing the care and treatment of people around the globe. Thermoplastic and elastomeric materials have been an essential part...

Circulatory Support Without Surgery for Heart Failure Patients

A team of life science entrepreneurs in Houston, TX, has developed the first catheter-deployed circulatory assist device intended for long-term use to treat chronic heart failure....

A Cross-Section of DC Motors and Their Characteristics

If your application demands a reliable, time-tested, low cost motor, then brushed DC motor technology may be what you’re looking for. The key here is simplicity. A brushed motor is...

Automating a Bottling Plant for Reaction Vessels

Tasked with the design and build of a fully automated in vitro diagnostics (IVD) bottling plant, an engineering firm specializing in the development of analytical medical equipment found itself...

Less-Invasive Ventricular Assist Device for Late-Stage Heart Failure

The first full-support, miniaturized ventricular assist device designed to be placed in the pericardial space, was approved by the FDA in late November. HeartWare...

Rotary Sensing Technologies for Medical and Robotic Shaft Angle Sensing Applications

Today’s sensor technologies for robotic and medical applications include many devices that have evolved from industrial applications. Because of this general...

Polymer Biomaterials Offer Possibilities for Orthopedic Implants

Since the 1950s and John Charnley’s introduction of the low friction hip prosthesis, metal-on-polyethylene bearings have remained the gold standard in terms of the long-term...

UC Berkeley Uses 3D Printing to Speed Development of Lifesaving Medical Device

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, but evaluating it carries risks of its own. Though often beneficial, X-ray angiography and CT...

Mechanical Components for Demanding Applications

Advanced medical device designs are evolving rapidly and demand higher standards for medical equipment reliability. Applying linear motion components to these medical applications yields the best...

Circulatory Assist Pump for Implantable Artificial Heart Device

When a patient’s heart disease cannot be treated, heart transplantation is required, but only a few people can receive transplants. These rare opportunities for transplantation...

Miniature Bioreactor System for Long-Term Cell Culture

A prototype miniature bioreactor system is designed to serve as a laboratory benchtop cell-culturing system that minimizes the need for relatively expensive equipment and reagents and can...

RF Device for Acquiring Images of the Human Body

A safe, non-invasive method for forming images through clothing of large groups of people, in order to search for concealed weapons either made of metal or not, has been developed. A millimeter...

Selecting Motors for Medical Pumps

Creation of small, portable infusion pumps opened a new chapter in medical care. A patient can receive carefully metered and timed doses of medicine without requiring a visit to a medical practitioner,...