Extending the Service Life of Joint Prostheses with PEEK Biomaterials

Learn about a polymer material being explored for complex joint prosthesis systems.

Surgical Sutures Inspired by Human Tendons

Next-generation sutures can deliver drugs, prevent infections, and monitor wounds.

Designing Rugged Myoelectric Interfaces for Highly Functional Prosthetics

New sensors and high-performance microwiring are extending the performance of active myoelectric prosthetics.

Creating a Quality Management Protocol for Molded Plastics Used in Medical Device Manufacturing

Inspection, measurement, and documentation are critical elements.

Innovations in Orthopedic Elastomers Enhance Durability and Appearance

The history of silicone rubber is synonymous with advancements in medical materials. Silicones, a family of biocompatible elastomers, provide an attractive balance of...

Value Engineering Applied to Micro Components

Value engineering (VE) is an organized/systematic approach directed at analyzing the function of systems, equipment, facilities, services, and supplies for the purpose of achieving their...

Hydrogel Adhesive Helps in Wound Healing

Cuts, scrapes, blisters, burns, splinters, and punctures — there are a number of ways our skin can be broken. Most treatments for skin wounds involve simply placing a barrier over them (usually an...

Flexible High-Energy Textile Lithium Battery Designed for Wearables

Researchers at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) have developed a highly flexible, high-energy textile lithium battery that offers more stable, durable, and safe...

New ‘Smart’ Material Has Potential Biomedical Applications

Researchers have shown a way to use graphene oxide (GO) to add some backbone to hydrogel materials made from alginate, a natural material derived from seaweed that is currently...

Four-Step Plastic Testing Protocol: Making Informed Design and Material Decisions

Medical devices across the United States must not only keep pace with advances in technology but also with the increased use of harsh solvents and...

New Dental Restoration Composite More Durable than Conventional Material

Researchers have developed a new type of dental composite that provides an extra layer of durability to treated teeth. The potential payoff is longer lasting fillings,...

Pad Combines Pressure and Gel to Heal Scars

An innovative pad combines both reinforcing pressure and occlusion to treat hypertrophic scars from burns, surgeries, and trauma. The Smart Scar-Care pad showed good performance in reducing...

Creating More Durable Joint Implants

Empa Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Duebendorf, Switzerland www.empa.ch

Natural joints can wear out due to daily stress and body movement, so you would expect that...

Pomegranate Inspires Battery Design

Researchers at Stanford University and the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has invented an electrode designed like a pomegranate with silicon nanoparticles clustered like...

Aluminum Anodizing Technology for Reusable Medical Equipment

Aluminum outperforms other materials to become an ideal choice for manufacturing of medical instruments, equipment, and devices mainly due to its intrinsic sustainable qualities....

Prosthetic Foot Uses Unique Aerospace Material

Formerly used only in the aerospace arena, Flexeon is a radical departure from the rigid carbon fiber materials found in most prosthetic feet. It’s a specially- formulated reinforced...

Ultrasonic Echo Probe With Measurement of Contact Pressure Distribution

This ultrasonic echo apparatus can measure tissue inside living bodies, non-invasively. The developed probe has a film-like piezoelectric sensor installed on the contact...